The Second StrikeSaeka's Redemption Book 2
by Luna Silvereyes
Summary: Sesshomaru wants the cure Saeka used to heal him and seeks her out. She refuses his request, and he forces her to join him. Along the way, he disocvers she is hiding a terrible secret. Just who is this odd halfdemon and why does she want his help?
1. A Not So Chancy Meeting

The Second Strike-Saeka's Redemption

A Not-So Chancy Meeting

Sesshomaru stood quietly atop a grassy rise, staring at the mountains before him. A gentle wind was blowing in from the north and caressing through his silvery hair, though he hardly noticed it. He was far too preoccupied with other, more important matters, such as the Tetsuaiga, or Naraku, or even his recent illness and the demon girl who cured him, Saeka. She was a half-demon, like InuYasha, only her blood smelled like that of a full-breed demon, such as himself and his father, The Great Dog Demon. She was a dragon demon and a skilled healer. He had clearly been on the brink of death when she had come with medicine after Rin had gone for help. Sesshomaru knew he should be angry with Rin for bringing back the help of his half-demon brother, some humans and a half dragon demon who actually had the nerve to stand up to him. Of course, he had cut her down with his Tokijjin. But somehow, she had replaced herself with a water replica and survived. He had to admit; he was fascinated at the levels of power such a young hanyou had achieved. She couldn't be any older than sixteen or seventeen, much younger than any demons he knew, and yet she was almost his equal in strength. He was, after all a few hundred years old and still growing. He was frustrated to admit that his true form, when compared to that of his father's in the tomb was still downright puppyish in comparison. In short, Sesshomaru was small for a youkai as powerful as himself. Truth be told, it was quite hard getting by without the use of his left arm which was still lying somewhere in the netherworld, wherever it had fallen. This explained his lack of use of his true demonic form. Since he had favored his left hand more than his right, it was extremely difficult adjusting.

" Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin's voice floated over the wind to his sensitive ears. He turned slightly. Rin was running over. She paused beside him. " Lord Sesshomaru, I can't seem to find Ah-Un." She said. Sesshomaru stared down at her and then raised his head to the spot where she and Jaken had been waiting for him to return. She was right; the dragon was nowhere to be seen.

" He will turn up." He said.

" Okay. I'll wait for him." She said. She turned to look at Mt. Hakurei.

" Is that where we are going next?" she asked, pointing at it.

" Yes. Naraku must be there."

He said nothing more. He left out the part that he wished to speak to Saeka about his past illness. Adamant as he was, he knew that this was no time for foolishness and he truly believed that Saeka's words were true and that whatever the illness was had not completely dissipated. He wanted the medicine, should it reappear.

Sesshomaru found Jaken dozing against a tree. It turned out that the dragon, Ah-Un had simply been ferreting around in the bushes and Rin had just overlooked him. She let out a cry of delight and ran to the dragon, hugging one of its two necks. Sesshomaru faced the little imp demon, who startled awake with a loud snort.

" Huh? W-What? Oh, it's you!" he said when his eyes focused and he recognized Sesshomaru. The demon turned.

" We're going." He said. Rin nodded and jumped into Ah-Un's saddle. Jaken sighed and trailed after.

" Please tell me where we are going." He said groggily. Sesshomaru remained silent. Jaken sighed again.

_Now I know, that mother was indeed correct. I wonder if that ferryman's job is still up for grabs?_

" Lord Sesshomaru! Please inform me of our planned destination! Oh Lord Sesshoooomaru!"

_Whack!_

" Ouch!"

Saeka slept fitfully beneath her faded blue cover in the back of the cave, secluded and hidden from anyone who dared to enter when she was weak. She only became full demon in her sleep so she could protect herself, but other than that, she remained half-demon. Like InuYasha and Sesshomaru's hair, hers turned snowy white as a full-demon. Now, she was suffering from a terrible nightmare.

" No. Leave…me…be! Stay back! No…NO!"

She screamed, bolting up and gasping for air as though she'd just been underwater. She whipped around and around, searching for some unseen enemy that was still lingering from the recesses of her dream. She sighed and flopped back down, her hair already beginning to turn back to its original brown from awakening. She only knew of her nightly change because she found white hairs on her pillow in the morning that could only have come from her. The only reason it hadn't done so when she was camping with those demons and their human friends was because every night, she wandered into the woods and ate the roots of the Moonflower, which halted her hair change for twenty-four hours. The only drawback was that they caused severe dizziness for about a half-hour and she was always forced to stay in the woods until she could make it back.

Saeka stretched and stood up groggily. It was far too early for this and on top of that, her peripheral vision told her that it had snowed unseasonably last night. _Great,_ she thought bitterly. _More trouble. Finding food will be difficult today for sure._

She went to the entrance of her cave and looked out. It hadn't snowed much, just a couple of inches, but enough to make the ground invisible. " Could be worse." She murmured. She reentered the cave, wrapped herself in a warm shawl and headed outside with a wooden bucket. It had occurred to her: she was very thirsty. She knelt down in the snow and began shoveling it into the bucket.

She worked feverishly, anxious to get back inside before the thing from her nightmare came to find her. She grimaced and grumbled. She was far too old to be acting like this, flinching at very shadow that flickered at her from a corner. She was going on seventy years old in a few weeks and she was determined not to let herself be found by…_him._ She shuddered and lifted the bucket. It was half-filled, but it would serve her purpose.

As she turned to go back in, a tall shadow suddenly darkened the path before her. She stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide as she stared at it. Whoever it was had very long hair; she could see it blowing slightly in the faint icy wind. She felt a shiver go down her spine and she called, " Who are you and what do you want?"

Whoever it was didn't answer. Saeka slowly began to calm down, reassuring herself that it was only a human come for supplies or a cure. She blew a small cloud of steam from her mouth and started forward. If it was indeed a human, than it was one from the village a few miles away and would know to follow her into the cave.

Out of the blue, a bright whip appeared and snapped violently against the rocky wall, bouncing off and retreating back to its owner. Saeka almost dropped the bucket and gripped her shawl, shaken. But she dared not turn around. She swallowed nervously. " I have no business with you. Please leave me in peace." She called out, barely concealing the terror in her voice. Footsteps crunching the fresh snow brought her extra-sensitive ears to a high perk and she shook violently as the intruder approached. Saeka inhaled quietly, preparing herself for the mad dash into the cave, through the curtain. The footsteps drew nearer and nearer until they were but a few feet behind her.

_Now!_

Saeka exhaled in a terrified gasp and scrambled forward. She stumbled through the curtain and threw it shut behind her, sorely wishing she'd installed a boulder instead. She then ran to the side of the door, into a tiny crevice she had carved out by hand in case of such an emergency. She crouched there, waiting with baited breath as whomever it was reached the curtain. She watched the shadow pause outside. Then, with sudden decisiveness, the intruder suddenly raised a hand and, claws extended, slashed the curtain to shreds in seconds. Saeka felt panic take hold. One word came to mind as she pushed herself deeper and deeper in. Demon.

Sesshomaru stood amongst the ruined bits and fragments of shredded curtain. He knew she was in the cave somewhere. He would find her. He tried to trace her scent in the air. He found himself surprised. She had disguised herself well, for her scent was mixed with that of whatever she had left simmering on the fire. He boldly stepped further in. His powerful ears would pick up even the slightest whimper. There was no doubt in his mind that she was terrified of him. Unless she did as he asked and gave him the medicine, she had every reason to be. He turned his head this way and that. His sharp eyes located a tiny crevice beside the door. His eyes narrowed and he approached it cautiously.

" Healer. You are back there." He said. Saeka's head appeared in the dim light and one dark eye glared at him. " Oh, it's you." She said nonchalantly. She forced herself out of the tiny crevice and got to her feet stiffly. The demon was standing in the middle of the cave staring at her blankly.

" What have you come for? You seem healthy to me." She snapped. Sesshomaru had wondered how she would react when she saw him. He supposed she'd still be mad about his slicing her asunder back in the forest. Judging by the way her dark eyes were flashing, he assumed his guess was correct.

" I have come for the medicine." He said. She cocked an eyebrow and closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose. " Sesshomaru, I can't just give you the medicine. You have to actually be sick. Now I did say that you were a carrier of the disease, but that does not mean that you will get it again. Besides, if applied incorrectly, the antidote can easily become a deadly poison to which there is no known cure, even to me." She cried, heading over to the cave entrance where she'd dropped her bucket. She cast a wary eye around for the little girl, Rin and that strange imp thing. But they were nowhere to be seen. She straightened up and headed to the fire, dumping the snow into the pot and stirring absently, forgetting completely why she wanted the snow, but pretending to make a spell so she wouldn't have to concentrate on his perpetual stare. She added a pinch of green dust she'd spilled the other day, knowing full well that this concoction was going to explode and fill the cave with a horrible toxic smoke for about twenty minutes until she could get some alicorn. She had to get him out of here before she blew herself sky-high. She glowered at him. " Haven't you got anything better to do than stare at me, waiting for the cure you're not going to get?" she snapped. Sesshomaru, as an answer, simply sat down cross-legged on the floor and shut his eyes halfway. Saeka's shoulders sagged.

This could take a while.

A/N: Ta-dah! The first chapter of the second book! I'm getting god at publishing and thanks to valuable advice from my good friend Kinkatia, this is finally getting off the ground. It's all because of Kinkatia that I'm even publishing. I was too wussy to attempt it. But now, I'm better! Please R&R! I love reviews and unlike some writers, I don't mind flames. I just don't prefer them. But feel free to critique me. Criticism is very helpful.


	2. A Forced Proposition

A Forced Proposition

Saeka continued to add herbs to the strange brew in her pot, all the while casting an irritated eye at her strange guest who continued to sit perfectly still, watching her patiently. She had figured that he would just get bored and leave of his own accord. Boy, was she ever wrong. He was still sitting on the cave floor watching her from half-closed lids and waiting. But why he figured she'd just give him the medicine, she couldn't figure out. Once, she'd tried to escape by claiming she had to go and give the medicine she'd made the day before (which was actually just a bottle of peach preserves) to a child with Pneumonia in the village. As she approached the cave entrance, the light whip had suddenly flown at her and chipped a large chunk of rock from the wall. Saeka was badly shaken, even now as she recalled it, turning around and staring at him as he pulled the light whip in and it vanished within his hand. She saw that his claws were retractable and he had just unsheathed them threateningly, making the tiny effort obvious to her. She knew what he was driving at and she knew she had no choice but to stay in the cave. But before actually succumbing to the threat and staying, she had tried in vain to argue.

" You have got to be kidding. That child is very sick and needs the medicine! I didn't lose you to that illness (as much as I now regret it) and I don't want to lose this child!"

To her shock, the demon had turned his head slightly. Though he seemed harmless at the present moment, she could see it in his eyes that he wouldn't hesitate to kill or at least maim her if she tried to leave. In a fit of anger, she screamed and threw the bottle out of the cave where it smashed against the stony ground, sending sweet peaches everywhere.

Now, she sat by the pot, using her tendrils growing out of her head to take bottles off the shelves and pour mixtures of the contents into the brew, not really knowing or caring what she was putting in, but merely trying to keep busy, lest she fall victim to craziness.

As she expected, the brew was beginning to explode and she hastily slammed the lid over it just as it blew. Little puffs of smoke billowed through the room and Sesshomaru raised his arm to cover his nose and mouth with his sleeve. She glared up at him, all the while shoving all her weight down onto the lid to keep the toxic smoke from escaping. " Can you at least help me a little? Please get that piece of alicorn I keep beside the door? I need it to purify this mess."

To her surprise, Sesshomaru got to his feet, made his way to the door and picked up the little piece of alicorn leaning against the wall. He tossed it to her and she caught it one-handed. She poked the point of the pure white piece of enamel substance into the pot and waited. Finally, as Sesshomaru retook his seat, she lifted the lid to find nothing but water remaining. She sighed and set the alicorn back down. " Thank you." She said, drained. Now, she knew that he knew she had been faking. She was going to be a hundred in a couple of decades. She shouldn't be making stupid mistakes like this anymore. She sat down and avoided his stare. She was rapidly getting sick of this. She looked up at him pathetically. " What do you want?" she groaned.

" I want the medicine." He said. That was the first thing he'd said since he came. Saeka rubbed her eyes sleepily. She desperately wanted to go to sleep, but she was afraid that if she did, he would either kidnap her, to get the medicine, or kill her in her sleep. " Sesshomaru, I cannot give you the medicine. If you actually got sick again and then tried to give yourself the medicine, you could end up fatally poisoning yourself. Besides, it takes a long time to make. I just can't give it to you."

His eyes narrowed. She noticed this. " Kill me if you want. But it will get you nowhere. Trust me. In fact, I'd really appreciate it if you killed me."

She thought she saw a glimmer of surprise in his eyes, but he removed any emotion before Saeka could be sure. " You want me to kill you?" he said, bewildered. She nodded. " I know I'm a demon and that my purpose is to heal others, but I'm under control of a higher and more powerful being that I can't escape from. If I die, maybe I can find solace in the netherworld."

Sesshomaru saw her tense up from saying the wrong thing. He figured it was something others weren't supposed to know. " Who is this other being?" he asked. Saeka's face went cold suddenly and she stood up. " Please leave now." She said darkly. Sesshomaru didn't move.

" Why do you continue to torment me? I cured the illness that was killing you! When I was supposed to be seething at the mere mention of your name for slicing my water replica to pieces, I forgot it! And now you invade my home, and demand that I give you the medicine that both cures and kills! I can't give it to you! What can I do to make you understand that!" she yelled. Sesshomaru stared at her for a second, as though debating something. Then, he stood up with a frustrated sigh. " You say the medicine is a deadly poison?"

" If administered incorrectly."

" Fine then." He said.

" What? You're giving up?" Saeka exclaimed. Sesshomaru met her eyes for the first time and she could see for a brief second what he was thinking. He wasn't giving up.

" Pack whatever you need." He said. He turned away. Saeka stood perfectly still. She wasn't sure she had heard right. His head turned to look at her from the corner of his eye. " Pack whatever you need." He repeated patiently.

" What are you saying?" She said unbelievably.

" Exactly what I said. If you won't give me the medicine, you're coming with me. Pack whatever you need and come outside." He said again. He left the cave to stand guard outside presumably. Saeka stared dejectedly after him. He wasn't asking her to come with him; he was ordering it. She had only asked him to kill her partly out of bluff and partly half-heartedly. She hadn't wanted anything to do with him. Now she was to leave the familiarity of her cave and herbs and fire to leave with a demon she hated, despite curing him out of pity for his young sister or whoever Rin was. Sadly, and with much hesitation, she gathered her most important herbs and cures and strains together and packed them into a red cloth rucksack.

" Saeka." Sesshomaru's voice called patiently from outside. She was glad that at least he was calm. She packed strains of diseases she'd collected from all sorts of times and places, including one of Ebola, cholera, yellow fever, influenza, The Crush, and a few more. She also packed a syringe and several packages of needles. The rest of the strains, she would either have to hide or destroy. She couldn't leave them sitting here for lord knows how long until Sesshomaru granted her freedom. With a heavy heart, she gathered up some of them and hid them in the crevice. Then, she turned to the shelves with the remaining strains and cures, aimed her hand at them and punched the air hard. A jet of fire flew out in the form of a long whip and she lashed it furiously at them, shattering the jars and dishes filled with various strains and medicines she couldn't take with her. _Damn, that Sesshomaru. It took me far too long collecting all these that I'm now destroying!_ She thought bitterly.

Finally, after they were all lying in ruined wreckage on the ground, she looked up at a final shelf at the very top that held supposedly nothing. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached up and felt around on the wood for something. Her fingers closed on something and she pulled it down. It was a sword with a black wrapped handle in a black and brown and gold sheath. She held it carefully.

" Kassenah, please protect me from that demon." She whispered. She pulled the strap of the sheath around her head and grabbed her bag. The fire would put itself out. She headed outside to find Sesshomaru standing there, framed in the glow of the sun. He turned to face her. " Let's go." He said. Saeka bowed her head and followed him. She knew not when she would be back, but as she stared at her former home until she could see it no longer, she prayed that it would be soon.

A/N: There you have it! The Second chapter! So Saeka has to go with Sesshomaru. She certainly isn't happy about it, but she'll come to learn that maybe, this is a blessing disguised as a curse. You never know! R&R! I love reviews! I don't mind flames.


	3. In The Company of A Demon

In The Company of a Demon

Saeka trailed slowly behind the demon, her head drooping sadly and remembering all she had been forced to leave behind when Sesshomaru ordered that she follow him because she couldn't give him the medicine. If only he understood that she couldn't give it to him because of its instability. He knew that. But he wouldn't understand it. She shifted her bag and sighed.

" Is something troubling you?' Sesshomaru asked unfeelingly. Saeka glared at him. " Oh no, I'm having the time of my life away from home and being forced to abandon all I own except for a few strains and some medicine and a single sword. No, nothing in the whole flipping world is bothering me." She snapped.

" If you're going to use sarcasm to me, you should at least put some effort into it." Sesshomaru said. " Be thankful I haven't killed you yet."

" You mean you will? Well, why wring the torture as far as it'll go? Kill me! Go ahead, use that powerful sword of yours and slash me like you did last week! Go on, I dare you!" she cried. Sesshomaru paused. He turned and drew his sword. Saeka's eyes grew wide as he pulled his arm back and lashed the sword at her, slicing through her body just like he had the water replica. But surprisingly, there was no pain. She felt nothing as the impact of the blow sent her flying back onto the ground. She sat up, breathing shakily and stared up at him, fear swiftly taking over as he stared down at her.

" Saeka, this time, I was feeling rather merciful. Next time you tempt fate, you won't be so lucky." He said, sheathing his sword. Saeka flinched and looked down at where the sword had struck. There was no mark. No blood, no torn flesh. Nothing. No pain. She gazed up at him. " How did you do that?" she gasped.

He turned and placed his hand on another sword held in place by his sash.

" The Tenseiga. The sword of healing." He said. " It's a fairly useless sword that cannot kill."

Saeka got to her feet, trembling terribly. " So, you did that to scare me?"

" Yes. If that's what you'd like to call it." He said without facing her. " We are going now. Come."

Saeka, considerably more humbled than she had been, followed him once more, though at less a distance and with more respect for him than she had had before.

Jaken paced up and down around the rock, muttering to himself and brandishing the staff he carried. Rin was laying in the saddle on Ah-Un's back and waving a little branch in the air, humming to herself.

" Oh, where could he have gotten to? It isn't like him! Well, it is like him, but he usually tells me before he goes off like that."

As he paced, Sesshomaru and Saeka appeared beyond the rise. Rin was the first to notice. " Lord Sesshomaru! And Saeka, too!" she cried. Jaken leaped into the air and ran over. " Lord Sesshomaru! Where have—" he stopped abruptly when he saw Saeka following. " My Lord, why is she here? You're not sick again, are you?" he asked.

" Don't be a fool, Jaken." He said darkly. Jaken yelled and backed away hurriedly as Sesshomaru passed him. Saeka stopped here. Jaken waved the staff in her face. " Now why are you here, half-demon?"

" He wanted the medicine I gave him during his illness. I told him I couldn't let him take it. So, he forced me to come along." She said quietly. Jaken made a face. " You expect me to believe that? Off with you! Do not pester my master any—"

" Jaken!" Sesshomaru snapped. Jaken froze in mid swing of staff. " Y-Yes, my lord?" he stammered.

" Leave her be. She is traveling with us from now on."

" What!" he shrieked. He stared, agape at Saeka. His little green face darkened. " You'd better not cause him any trouble, half-demon." He growled. He turned and stomped away, grumbling to himself. Rin watched him pass Ah-Un and ran up to Saeka. " Good to see you again, Saeka. Are you staying with us now?"

" I guess so."

" Come on. Would you like something to eat?" she said, running back to the fire. Saeka smiled a little and proceeded forward. She sat down by Rin who was busy putting a mushroom or two in the fire. " What's in your bag?"

" Uh, well. Sesshomaru made me leave the cave and all my things behind, so I packed some strains and cures and things like that."

" Some? Not all?"

" I destroyed the rest."

" Oh." Rin said. " Oh, Saeka. He made you destroy the rest?"

" No, I chose to. I had to. If some villager came along and found them and decided to use them for evil purposes, it'd be my fault."

She stared into the fire as Rin took a mushroom out and handed it to her.

" Don't burn your tongue. You need it for speaking." She said, taking a bite of her own. Saeka twirled hers on its stick. " Thanks, Rin. But still, I do miss my cave and my strains and cures that I was forced to leave behind. And besides that, on the way here, he used the Tenseiga on me to scare me." She said, taking a bite.

" How'd he do that?" Rin asked.

" He cut me with it. But since it's the Tenseiga sword, I wasn't killed. Or even hurt for that matter. He was trying to scare me and I've got to tell you, it worked."

"He used it to restore me to life."

Saeka froze. " He brought you back to life?" she said.

" Yes. I found him injured one day a few weeks after my parents were killed. I tried to help him, but he didn't really accept it. He did talk to me though."

" He seems kind of scary." Saeka admitted.

" He's not bad. He cares about us and whenever he leaves, he always makes sure we'll be okay first."

" Hum. He could have fooled me."

That night, Saeka wandered several feet away from the group. Sesshomaru had moved them several miles from Mt. Hakurei, probably to prevent Saeka from returning. Or maybe it was only her head making it seem like he was taking extraordinary precautions to keep her from going home. She was tempted to transform and fly away. But she figured that he, being a full-blooded demon had a true form as well, one that was probably much larger than her own and could easily catch her before she got very far. She glanced back at him standing just outside the clearing where they'd all settled. He was staring out at the horizon, his hair and the strange furry thing he wore blowing slightly in the breeze. She sighed and turned back around. She wanted so badly to leave, but she knew that she'd have to outwit Sesshomaru _and _his little cohort Jaken Though she didn't show it, that little imp thing was pretty weird.

" Saeka!" Rin called. " Come over here!"

Saeka got up and stumbled over. She sat down beside the girl who stared at her in wonder. " What happened to your hair? It looks like Lord Sesshomaru's."

" Oh, I'm a half-demon, so my hair does this at night. But, it's funny. My hair only really did this when I was asleep. I don't know why it's doing this while I'm awake." She said, fingering it. Rin shrugged. " Maybe it has a mind of its own." She suggested. Saeka sighed. " I don't know." She murmured, staring into the fire. Rin cocked her head. " Saeka? What's wrong?"

" I'm homesick." She muttered. Rin hummed. " Oh. You, miss your cave?"

" Yes."

" You'll be able to return. Lord Sesshomaru won't keep you here forever. At least, I don't think he will. Why don't you ask him if you can go back?"

" Are you sure it's safe? I've seen what he can do. I also have this weird feeling I've met him before and that I know he can do so much more than what he's revealed." She said cautiously. Rin smiled. " It's fine. He won't kill you. If he were going to, he'd have done so already. Relax. Ask him if he'll allow you to go home someday."

Saeka glanced over at the demon again, sighed and got to her feet. " I sure do hope you're right about this, Rin. Because I truly do want to go home."

She left the warmth of the fire and headed over to the grassy ledge where Sesshomaru was standing. Only when she was within five feet of him did she realize exactly how cold it really was and she resisted the urge to go back to the fire. She paused a few feet beside him and stared into the grassy plain.

" Saeka." He said simply. She knew now that a one-word statement was his way of asking a certain question.

" Yes?" she said, pretending she didn't know.

" What is it?"

" I wanted to ask you something." Saeka muttered. Sesshomaru turned his head slightly.

A sudden gust of wind ripped past them and she shuddered hard against the cold. Sesshomaru didn't seem to notice, though his hair and the furry wrap around his right shoulder blew furiously behind him.

" Sesshomaru, I want to return to my cave. I want to return to my old life." She lied. She did want to return home, but she didn't want to return to her old life. She wanted to be free from _his_ clutches. Sesshomaru turned his head fully to face her. His golden colored eyes had gone completely empty of all but slight anger. " I will not allow that." He declared.

" Sesshomaru, I never asked to come and give you that medicine in the first place! I did it to help your sister or whoever she is! I did it for her, not you! You can't keep me here!"

" Silence." He said forcefully. She brushed it aside. " I am not someone who is easily controlled by another, no matter how powerful! I don't care if you kill me, in fact, please do! I'd rather be dead than continue under the service I've been enslaved under for so long!"

" Saeka, there is no option for you. As grudgingly as I admit it, I understand that I am a carrier for the illness I was afflicted by recently. I am not about to succumb to it. The medicine is necessary and you are the only one who knows how to use it." He said.

" And what if I refuse to should you actually contract the disease again? Just because you're now a carrier doesn't mean that you'll get it. The virus is only using you as a host so it can go and infect others who fit its needs. The virus would only re-infect you on accident. I could just refuse to give you the medicine."

" You wouldn't. You feel sorry for Rin and the others."

" What does that have to do wi…" she trailed off as the meaning sunk in. Rin. Of course. She would convince her to use the medicine. Saeka couldn't refuse her the medicine. She would have no choice but to cave in. Her head bowed. " So then…I'm trapped?"

" It would seem that way."

" Is there some kind of compromise?" Saeka begged desperately.

" What is your offer?"

" That you at least allow me to continue my practice. When a human or demon alike comes for my help, you let me go to them on my word that I would return."

Sesshomaru turned around fully and stared down at her. He seemed to be looking directly through her rather than at her, so intense was his gaze. Saeka knew that he was testing her and she was determined to pass. Finally, he grumbled low in his throat and started back toward the fire. " Very well. You may leave only when someone comes asking for a cure. But we will come to find you."

Saeka let out a little relieved smile. " Thank you." She whispered. Sesshomaru paused a moment, and then continued on. Saeka turned a little to look up at a dark cloud hovering above them. As she watched, a dark shape emerged from it and soared off into the night sky. She frowned at it.

" You won't win. Not this time. I'm going to be freed." She hissed.

A/N: Third chapter! I am having so much fun with this, even though I'm already on the, what, eighth, ninth book, something like that? Yes, there are a LOT of books, but Kinkatia says they're entertaining so I'm still at it. Oh, this also to Shadowdragon2005 who's one of my biggest reviewers. I love getting reviews and Kinkatia and Shadowdragon2005 are two of my biggest reviewers. Thank you!!!!


	4. Saeka's Duties

Saeka's Duties

The very next day, as Sesshomaru, Rin, Jaken, Ah-Un and Saeka were heading along a road commonly traversed by humans, a young man hurried to them. Saeka watched as Sesshomaru's hand went to his sword and the man came to a stop, kneeling down and panting hard.

" Please, is The Healer with you?" he begged. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed and he turned to Saeka. Saeka stepped forward and knelt down beside the man. " I am The Healer, Saeka. Do you wish to inquire for my services?"

" Yes. My young daughter…she is very sick. Please, can you come now? Please!" He cried. " I'll pay whatever you require, just come to heal my little child!"

" Be quiet, I'll heal her. I don't require pay. Take me to her." She said with no hesitation, remembering that Sesshomaru had settled on a compromise for her services to others. She followed the man further down the road and was surprised to realize that Sesshomaru was following as well. He led them to a small village.

" Over here." He said, gesturing to a tiny hut on the edge. Two women were standing outside, staring at the ground concernedly. They weren't crying or lamenting, which meant that the child had not yet died. But she could be close. Saeka moved forward, into the little house while Sesshomaru and the others waited outside. She knew she had to hurry, demons weren't appreciated in this village, judging by the foul looks Sesshomaru was receiving from the two women and other villagers. Only the man seemed not to care as he watched Saeka.

Inside the hut was a little bed that clearly held a human body. Saeka approached and laid her hand on the child's forehead. She didn't even need to assess the symptoms. She could tell it was Malaria from the start, for the little girl was shaking from chills, yet she was burning up at the same time. This would take no time at all. She dug through her pack for the strain of malaria she'd brought with her. She took a little out from the dish with her right index claw and then added some herbs from another bag with her left hand to the drop. She took a little cup of water from her bag, sealed with a plastic coating, opened it and dropped the liquid into it. She then removed a syringe from her bag, poured the pinkish mixture into it and screwed the top back on. She raised the little girl's arm and injected the needle into a vein in her wrist. She was too sick to drink it, so this was the next best option.

" Let me through! What's she doing? Please!" she heard the man calling. The women outside were restraining him. " Father, please! Let The Healer work!" one of them called. So one of the women was another daughter. The other one must be a wife, Saeka thought. She removed the needle and put the used needle into her pocket. The little girl moaned in her sleep and wearily opened her eyes.

" Mama?" she whispered hoarsely. Saeka took her hand and smiled at her.

" I'm not your mama." She said gently. " What's your name?"

" Sana." The little girl answered.

" Thank you. You will be well from here on out. You got your illness by playing in the marshes, right?"

Sana's eyes widened. " It happened right after that."

" You were bitten by a mosquito. Be sure to avoid the marshes and mosquitoes, all right?" Saeka said. Sana nodded. " Mm-hmm." She closed her eyes and went to sleep. Saeka rubbed her head and stood up.

" Healer! Healer, will my child be okay?" the man yelled when she appeared. Saeka nodded. " Yes. Sana will be fine. Be careful, she had malaria. I had some cures for her. She got the disease from an infected mosquito while playing in the marshes. Make sure to keep away from there until next month, when the mosquitoes migrate to warmer climates. Okay?"

" Of course, of course. I'll do whatever it takes. I'll warn my fellow villagers too."

" Good, man. Take care now." Saeka said, turning away to rejoin the others. The man and his family waved. " Goodbye, Healer! Thank you so much!" the man called. Saeka waved and turned back around. Sesshomaru stared at her curiously for a moment. " Why do you help them?" he asked. Saeka gave him a look of pure surprise. " Why shouldn't I? I'm one of them." She said. Sesshomaru's eyes went slightly wider. " You're a half-demon, you don't belong among them."

" I don't belong among you, either!" Saeka shouted with sudden anger.

" I'm a half-demon, so what? Do you think I chose to be this way?"

She stood glaring at him. He didn't respond because, for once, he was at a loss for words. But he wasn't about to let her know that. He blinked and continued on. Saeka stared after him. How could he be so heartless toward humans when he allowed one to travel with him? How could he be so heartless toward her in the least? She saved his life. Saeka shifted her faze back to the village where the man was carrying Sana around on his shoulders and pronouncing her healed. Sana looked sleepy, but happy to be alive. Saeka just hoped that they would keep her away from the marshes. She didn't tell the villagers that she was no longer in residence at Mt. Hakurei and couldn't be found there now.

Rin rode atop Ah-Un's back and watched Saeka as she followed at a distance, gazing at the ground and muttering to herself. Rin felt sorry for Saeka for what she was going through. She felt the same as she did, having lost all she had. But Rin had chosen to follow Sesshomaru on the chance that he would allow it, which he did in the end. Saeka had been afraid of him from the start, but willing to assist, if only for her. Rin did admire Saeka for her strong will. She wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, even against Sesshomaru. Perhaps it was her courage that fascinated him, preventing him from striking her down. Or maybe he was concerned that he'd hit another water replica if he tried. She really acted as if she wanted to die more than she wanted his help. Rin wondered if Saeka truly was a half-demon, since most half-demons didn't have true selves other than what they appeared to be. From what she had observed from Sesshomaru's behavior, he had a true form, while she did as well. It was baffling, far too complex for her young mind to comprehend. She sighed and looked to the sky. She'd worry about it later.

Jaken thought about what had just happened in the village, Saeka's healing of that little girl, Sana. She was a half-demon who cared about humans, which wasn't surprising. But she often acted more demon than human. That part he couldn't figure out. Her scent was that of InuYasha's, though she seemed to be more different in the terms of a half-breed. He turned to glare at her. He was shocked to see that her eyes had changed. They were a deep emerald green a while back, and now the pupils were a deep red, like a demon's, where a demon transforming would have completely red eyes, not pupils. Her head shot up and she growled low when she saw him staring. He let out a squeak of terror and hurried to walk beside Sesshomaru.

Just who is that girl? He wondered to himself.

Saeka sighed as she walked behind the others, reached back into her bag and took out her journal. She began to write, not really paying attention to the words, but letting them flow along until she realized that she had filled the page. She paused to read what she had unknowingly written:

Dear Journal,

I have been taken captive, to speak a little over-harshly. That demon I saved, Sesshomaru came to my cave, demanding the medicine I used to cure him of his illness. I refused to give it to him, due to its instability. He then told me to pack whatever I would need, that I was to come with him. Now, I am forced to travel with him and his two companions, the human girl, Rin and the imp, Jaken. The dragon thing, I don't mind, considering I am a dragon myself. But I do not like the looks of this strange dog-like demon.

Today, a man came to us as we traveled. He begged Sesshomaru to let me come to his village and cure his young daughter, Sana of malaria. The little girl is very sweet and she will heal nicely. But Sesshomaru doesn't seem to like that I care for these humans. He doesn't understand that I belong with them. He doesn't know what I go through to be like them, though now I fear that even the full extent of my power isn't even enough to escape **his** grasp. I must get away. Before I am found by that other demon I despise. I had hoped that Sesshomaru or this demon called, Naraku could help me. Since Sesshomaru likely won't, I'll probably be forced to inquire for Naraku's help. Perhaps, he could be of assistance against this foe of mine. After all, I owe it to the great demon that saved my life to destroy the enemy he saved me from. It's the least I can do to honor his death.

Saeka sighed again as she read her own writing. She shut the journal and stuffed it back into her bag.

Suddenly, ahead of her, Sesshomaru tensed and paused, his hand on his sword. Saeka continued walking until she was beside him. " Sense something?" she asked quietly. He didn't answer, but she wasn't surprised. The bushes at the end of the trail in front of them were rustling as something moved about within. As they watched, a tiny figure emerged and Sesshomaru drew his sword.

" Wait!" Saeka cried, leaping in front of him. " It's only a human girl!"

Sesshomaru regarded her coldly, but lowered his sword. Saeka silently thanked the gods that he remembered his promise that he would allow her to continue her practice. She certainly hadn't counted on it. She turned to face the little girl coming toward them, limping badly and clutching her left arm. Her face was terribly scarred and torn and she was bleeding in her right eye, possibly from losing it. She was whimpering as she fell to her knees and looked up at Saeka, confirming the loss of her eye. There was nothing there.

" Please, help…me." She groaned. " Please. My…father and mother… and…brother."

She fell over. Saeka rushed to her side. She turned to the others. " This is bad." She declared. She noticed Rin watching, wide-eyed. " Rin, don't look at this!" she yelled. " It's for your own good."

Rin nodded and covered her eyes. Jaken ran over, tripping over his own feet. " What happened to this pathetic human girl?" he asked. Saeka's mouth formed a straight line. Jaken's eyes opened wide as he noticed that he roots of her hair were beginning to gray, such as an elder human's might. " I don't know what happened. That's what I'm trying to find out." She said through gritted teeth. She gently shook the girl. She opened her eyes. " Father…mother…Hiroshi. Help…them."

" Settle down. Now tell me, what happened? What's your name?" Saeka said firmly, but gently. The little girl winced as a new paroxysm of pain swept through her tiny body. " My name is Toshi. I was traveling with father and mother and Hiroshi. A hoard of demons attacked us and hurt father and mother and Hiroshi. I managed to barely get away." She said as she clutched the empty socket where her eye used to be. Saeka's heart sank. There was no possible way she could save this girl. She specialized in ailments and minor attacks. Not full brunt demon attacks such as this. Toshi would die in a matter of hours.

" Toshi, can you tell me where your family is?" Saeka whispered. Toshi's eye opened a crack. " Three miles or so that way. I'm only guessing by how far I got. Those demons will come. I'm sure of it." She breathed. She was getting weaker by the minute. Saeka stood up, Toshi cradled in her arms.

" We have to go to them." She declared. " Toshi should see her family."

Without waiting for the others, she hurried off into the forest. Sesshomaru grimaced and went in after her. Jaken looked at Rin and Rin gently flicked Ah-Un's reins. Both of them trailed in behind.

Saeka ran with Toshi in her arms, careful to let the girl have as easy a ride as possible. She was fading very fast.

" Toshi, are we almost to them? Can you feel if we're near?" Saeka asked breathlessly. Toshi gasped for air. " We are close. Father…mother…Hiroshi." She said, her voice like a zephyr floating along a grassy plain, barely audible at all. Saeka began to panic and raised her speed until she was almost flying through the forest. She had never failed a sick human or demon alike and though she was about to lose her first one, she was determined that this little girl spend her last moments with her family, whether they were alive or dead. Then, she would bury them together with her own claws, because it was her duty to make sure all of the people who came to her were cared for.

" Father! Mother! Hiroshi!" the little girl cried out suddenly as they reached a tiny clearing. Saeka came to an abrupt stop. There, in the center, sprawled over a fallen log was something she had sorely wished never to see. It took all her strength and will power not to drop little Toshi, but to merely set her down. Toshi scrambled to her feet, ebbing out every last ounce of her strength to get to her family. Saeka could do nothing but stare at the young woman lying on her side in the clearing.

" No." she murmured. " No, not her."

It was Little Saeka.

A/N: Now, that's the fourth chapter. I'm sure you all remember Little Saeka, the baby girl Saeka delivered and mentioned in her logbook in The Healer. Little Saeka is all grown up now. What's going to happen? Hehe, I'm not telling! I simply adore this series and I'm so glad it made it as a series. Thanks!


	5. Saeka's Uncontrollable Rage

Saeka's Uncontrollable Rage

Sesshomaru entered the clearing. " What happened here?" he asked, looking around at the damage. Trees were bent down and severed from their trunks. The ground was cracked and broken around the family. It was clear that the father was dead from a near severed neck. But the little boy and the mother were still alive. Toshi had crawled to her family and was kneeling by her mother, shaking badly. Saeka was just the same only she seemed to be having more of a fit than an attack of fear, or remorse. " No, no, no, no." she kept muttering, staring at the young mother. Sesshomaru heard Rin and Jaken come up behind him. " Rin, Jaken. Stay back." He called.

" Yes my lord." Rin replied from about seven feet back. Sesshomaru stepped further into the clearing. " I take it you knew these people." He said. Saeka let out a ragged, hate-filled sigh. " Yes. I. Knew. Them." She said, putting horrible emphasis on each word. She continued to glare at the young woman. She was still breathing and focused tired on eyes on Saeka. " Healer Saeka. The one who shares my name." She said so hoarsely, it was almost impossible to hear her. Toshi started wailing. The little boy, Hiroshi was laying beside his mother. He couldn't have been more than a few months old, yet his eyes were open and he seemed to be aware of everything going on. Sesshomaru suspected that there was more to the boy than meets the eye. He had a deep gash in his head that was bleeding heavily. The mother was suffering from a deep wound in her middle torso, almost cutting her in half. Whoever did this knew exactly how to kill each person, including the infant, Hiroshi. Toshi tried to reach for her brother, but fell onto her stomach in the process. " No, Hiroshi." She whispered. She then tried to look around to Saeka. " Help…mommy and…Hiroshi." He words were weaker and fewer. She was beginning to die. Saeka reached out for the mother's hand.

" Little Saeka." She murmured. The woman looked up at her. " Little Saeka? I understand that I am named as you are." The woman said with a faint smile. Saeka shook her head and now, for the first time, Sesshomaru noticed the white strands at the roots of her hair. " No, Little Saeka. You are named for me." She said. The woman's eyes widened and she winced in pain. Saeka continued.

" You are the daughter of a noble I helped to bring into the world. Your mother was very grateful that my remedies saved both you and her, and named you after me in her gratitude, even though she lost all contact with reality. Your father sent you away to a country home with an elderly couple. You are really part of a noble family in the east." She said. The woman, Little Saeka started to shake.

" I am dying. Why are you telling me this? This is all so sudden." She said weakly. Saeka let out a dreadful sob. " Because…it's because of me that this happened to you!" she cried bitterly. The woman, as Saeka yelled this, gasped her final breath and her eyes went dull. She had passed on to the afterlife.

Toshi saw this happen. " No! Mommy!" she screamed. As she did, she too let out a hissing rattle sound of air being pushed from her body and fell, dead beside her baby brother. Hiroshi started to wail and Saeka squeezed her eyes shut against the high-pitched sound. " No. No." she whispered. " NO! Make it stop! No! Father! No, don't! NO! Leave us be! Don't do this to us! NO! NO!" she screamed, grasping her head and rocking back and forth as the infant continued to cry. Saeka raised her eyes to the sky and let out an earthshaking scream that made even Sesshomaru wince.

" Lord Sesshomaru! What's happening?" Rin called out, terrified. Sesshomaru looked first at the infant, then at Saeka who seemed to have lost all control. Her demonic aura was suddenly deep red and she was making strange, growling sounds. Her hair had by now turned pure white and her claws were lengthening. Sesshomaru instinctively knew what was happening to her. Taking hold of Tokijjin, he dashed forward, whipped the sword out and plunged the blade of it into the infant's body. The child made one last strangled cry and fell still. As he watched, the body of the infant began to smolder and than quickly disintegrated into the earth. His eyes narrowed. It was exactly as he had suspected. The child was a demon changeling. It had somehow activated its powers prematurely and caused some sort of recall on Saeka's part. But now that the so-called human babe Hiroshi had been eliminated, Saeka was beginning to return to normal. Her hair was receding back to its original brown. Her claws, back to their original state and the growling, ceased. Saeka moaned and fell forward, unconscious. Sesshomaru stared at her and then replaced his sword into the sash at his waist. He knelt down and shook Saeka's shoulder gently. She didn't move. She was alive, but very weak from whatever it was that had possessed her.

" Jaken." He called. " Bring Ah-Un over."

" Y-Yes, right away my lord." Jaken stammered. Sesshomaru carefully picked Saeka up in his right arm and set her on the dragon's back, facing up. She was still out cold. Jaken gaped at her. " What in the world happened to her?" he exclaimed.

" That so-called infant had demonic powers. It was a changeling, Jaken. The real child of these humans is somewhere in the other world." He said, glancing off to the right. " Obviously, Saeka had some memories she would have preferred kept locked away. That infant's powers must have freed them, causing her to reflexively defend herself, believing that her life was in danger, as InuYasha does. When the infant was destroyed, so was her will to bring out her true self." He explained. Jaken blinked twice and stared up at the girl. " So, is she a threat to us?" he asked.

" Unlikely. She is more of an enigma. She may be hiding more than she is telling us." He said. He started toward the forest, out of the clearing. Jaken followed and Rin trailed behind, leading Ah-Un. She glanced back at the deceased Toshi and her family, and the woman that Saeka had saved many years ago, or so it had sounded. She sighed sadly. Sesshomaru, several feet ahead, paused and looked back. " What's the matter, Rin?"

" Saeka wanted to bury this little girl and her family together. I just feel bad that she'll never get to do it."

" It's better this way." Sesshomaru said. He turned and continued on. Rin gazed after him. Yes, she thought. It is better this way.

A/N: Wow! That's that one and ever closer to the next chapter and the climax! Anyone know what Saeka's terrible secret is yet? No, it's not that she has a true form. It's something else entirely. I was actually planning for Sesshomaru to strike Saeka with the sword instead of the infant, but somehow, my hands just started typing on their own and I found myself reading something I didn't recognize.


	6. Rin's Feelings and Sesshomaru's Heart

Rin's Feelings and Sesshomaru's Heart

Kagome slept fitfully that night. When a distant, shrill scream drifted in and met her ears, she bolted awake with a cry. InuYasha, dozing over in the corner, yelled and leapt up. " Kagome, what's the matter?" he cried. Kagome jumped up and ran to the window, spilling Shippo onto the floor in the process. " InuYasha, someone just screamed out there! I heard them!" she said shakily. InuYasha ran to the window and looked out. He could see the hills past the distant forest with the half-full moon hovering above them. He gave Kagome a funny look. " There's nothing." He said. " What a surprise. You must have dreamed it."

" I didn't dream it. I sensed a jewel shard along with it." She lied. InuYasha took the bait. " A jewel shard? Well why didn't you say so? Wake Sango and Miroku! Hurry!" he yelled, running outside through the window. Kagome stared after him. " What were you raised in a barn!" she shouted at his disappearing form in the darkness. Kagome rushed over to the others and shook Sango awake while Shippo took care of waking Miroku. Kirara mewed sleepily as Sango sat up and rubbed her eyes. " Kagome, what's the matter?" she asked.

" I heard a sharp scream. I sensed a jewel shard at the same time." Kagome explained, furthering the use of her white lie. Sango and Miroku leapt up and hurried out of the cabin in Priestess Kaede's village. Kirara transformed and Sango, Miroku and Kagome and Shippo all leapt onto her back. The yellow saber cat leapt into the air.

" Where did this come from, Kagome? And where's InuYasha?" Miroku asked.

" Over in that direction, by the hills, only a little bit further. InuYasha headed that way."

" There's no time to lose. Let's go!" Miroku cried.

InuYasha ran swiftly through the forest, following the scent of human blood that he'd recently picked up, that and something else familiar too. Something bad. Damn, he thought, why'd Kagome have to sense a sacred jewel shard so close to the village?

He heard the whoosh of the wind as Kirara caught up, but saved no time to greet them.

Kagome, who was still riding atop Kirara gasped and pointed. " Look, there, in that clearing!" she cried. InuYasha slowed to a stop as Kirara landed and reverted back to normal. " Woah." Shippo exclaimed. There were three bodies littered in the clearing: A man, a woman and a young girl. A few feet away was a charred spot where something had been not too long ago. A large gash lay in the earth where a sword had punctured it. InuYasha got down to sniff the ground. Kagome came up behind him to check on the little girl. " They're all dead. They all have terrible wounds." She said sadly. She stroked the hair of the little girl. It was chocolate brown and silky to the touch. She couldn't have been more than seven or eight years of age. Her eye was missing and she had deep slashes in her arm and legs. The woman, probably her mother had the same in her torso, and she was nearly severed in two. The man had a deep gash in his neck, also closely cutting it off. All had been dead only a short period, since the birds were only just starting to take an interest, and there was no smell of decay. InuYasha, a few feet off suddenly leapt up. " Sesshomaru!" he snarled. " That miserable excuse for a demon! He must have done this."

" Are you sure it was Sesshomaru? I know he hates humans, but I don't think he goes around killing any he comes across." Miroku said, coming up behind them and staring down at the family. InuYasha grumbled. " I suppose that makes sense. But there's something else. Another scent is mixed in here, as well as the remnants of a strong demonic aura. Something happened here, and Sesshomaru had something to do with it."

" These poor people. What was that other scent you picked up, InuYasha?" Sango asked him. InuYasha closed his eyes in concentration. It was so familiar he could taste it.

Suddenly, his head shot up.

" Saeka!"

Rin sat by the demon girl as she lay in unconsciousness, the same state she'd been in since they left the clearing far behind. Rin couldn't get the image of Saeka's true form shining through before Sesshomaru destroyed the changeling. Saeka had been preparing to regress into a true demonic form so powerful that even she could feel it. That was something in itself, since Rin couldn't generally see or feel auras. But she hadn't told Sesshomaru about this. If he knew that she was able to sense Saeka's new aura, then he might kill her to protect Rin. Rin shuddered at the thought. She had to admit, Saeka was a little strange, but she didn't scare her and she knew that the girl wouldn't hurt her on purpose.

Rin stared at Saeka worriedly. She wanted the girl to be okay. It was kind of nice having her kind traveling with them for a change. She loved being with Sesshomaru more than anything, but it did get lonely at times, being the only girl. There was a chance that one of Ah-Un's dragonheads was female, but that wouldn't count anyway.

" Rin." Sesshomaru said suddenly, coming up behind her. She whirled around. " You startled me, my lord." She said cheerfully.

" Has Saeka shown any signs of coming to consciousness?" he asked.

" Nope. She still lays there." Rin replied. Sesshomaru made a strange noise and moved a few feet away. He sat down on the cliff-side for a change and stared out at the sea. Rin was tempted to tell him. But she wasn't sure if she should. She scrunched her eyes shut. I have to tell him, she thought. I have to. He's protected me. I shouldn't keep secrets from him.

Rin decidedly stood up and made her way over. She sat down beside him.

" Um, Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked. " May I tell you something?"

" What is it?" he asked her. Rin looked out at the water. How should she start this, she wondered. " Lord Sesshomaru, remember when…when Saeka told that woman about her past, and then she died and the baby started crying?"

" Yes." He said, wondering where she was going with this. She shuffled her feet around beneath her legs. " Well, I was hiding in the trees, like you told me to. When she started to transform into her true self, there was a demonic aura, wasn't there?"

" Of course there was. Her blood had turned to that of a full demon's." He said, going slightly technical. He realized here that Rin was capable of understanding such facts about half-demons in comparison to full-breeds, such as himself. Rin continued. " When her aura appeared, um. I wasn't sure if I should tell you this. Um. Her aura was…red. It was very powerful and…I felt it." She admitted. Okay, she yelled to herself, I did it! I admitted it to Lord Sesshomaru! I could sense her aura!

Sesshomaru gasped faintly and turned his head to face her, surprise taking over whatever his usual composure was. Rin was a human, and she was able to sense Saeka's demonic aura!

" You were able to sense Saeka's aura?" he exclaimed. Rin nodded and made a face as though she were about to cry. Sesshomaru noticed this. " What's the matter?"

Rin started shaking and Sesshomaru puzzled over what could possibly be wrong. " Rin." He said. She lowered her head and then whipped it up to face him. " Please Lord Sesshomaru! Don't kill Saeka!" she cried. Sesshomaru was really taken aback now. Rin was concerned about the healer.

" You don't want me to kill Saeka." He stated. She nodded and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. " Yes. Please don't kill her." She said shakily.

" Why would I kill her?" Sesshomaru queried. Rin sniffed. " Because I can sense her aura. I'm a human I'm not supposed to sense any demonic auras. If hers is strong enough for me to sense it, than she could be a threat. Then, if she transformed again, you'd not want to take a chance and you'd kill her." Rin said, knowing that she was taking several dangerous steps here. But he had to know how she felt about the whole thing.

Sesshomaru watched Rin from the corner of his eye as she sniffled and stared at the horizon.

" Please." She whispered. " Don't kill Saeka."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes to slits, as he turned a bit to look at the limp form of the healer lying beside the fire. He now knew that Rin seemed to be quite fond of this girl. He hadn't really been planning to kill her anyway, but what Rin said was true. He did tend to act more on instinct in tricky situations. If Saeka did transform again, he might not stop to recall what Rin said. He might end up killing Saeka. Then what? Would Rin leave? He certainly didn't want Rin to leave. He had to admit, he was fond of the little human. She was endlessly cheerful, unlike Jaken who was always moping and complaining. He didn't know where she got all her energy and joy from. Though on countless occasion preceding this one, he had in fact attempted to leave them both at the edge of some forest. That way, he could continue to travel alone and she would eventually make her way to her own people. But every time, he always went back without meaning to, and every single time, she had always greeted him with the same exuberance she kept burning every day. By the time the third attempt at abandonment had passed, he had realized that she would be crushed if he never came back. It would never cross her mind that he had abandoned her, she would always think that something terrible had happened to him. And now she was caring about this healer that was a serious threat should she lose control of herself.

Sesshomaru's gaze softened. He placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. Rin looked up, surprised.

" Rin," he said, staring out at the sea. " I won't kill Saeka. If the time comes when she becomes a threat, she won't die." He promised. Rin smiled. Suddenly, she leapt up and threw her arms around his neck. " Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru! I'll never forget this!" she cried. Sesshomaru, clearly shocked, just blinked once or twice. He said nothing, but stayed still until she pulled away and hurried off toward the fire to check on Saeka. Sesshomaru watched her leave. Something had changed in that moment. He felt something…different. He turned back to the sea.

Sesshomaru found the nerve to admit to himself. He cared about that human. He didn't want her hurt. He found that, for some reason, she seemed more like a…daughter than a friend, or companion. In that one moment, when she had hugged him and thanked him for agreeing to protect Saeka too, he had felt something change. His once icy heart had melted a little. Sesshomaru turned back once more to make sure she was still there and then stared at the sea again.

He smiled a little to himself.

A/N: How was this chapter? I tried to make Sesshomaru a little irresolute about Saeka and her recent problem. And, I don't really know what else to say. I do love reviews, and I don't mind flames. R&R!


	7. Saeka's True Form

Saeka's True Form

InuYasha followed the scent relentlessly. It was getting stronger, the scent of his half-brother and the healer girl, Saeka. They were all close and he was going to find them and find out what happened in the clearing and what it had to do with Sesshomaru. Kagome, riding on his back, cried out as a branch smacked her in the face. " Hey! Watch where you're running, huh?" she yelled.

" Sorry." He muttered. He wasn't in the mood to argue. He was far too close to worry about that now.

Sango and Miroku riding on Kirara approached. " Are we nearing anything?" Sango called.

" You bet we are." InuYasha said. " Sesshomaru and that healer are still here. I'll bet anything that Sesshomaru has something to do with what happened in that clearing we were in earlier!"

" Now don't go jumping to hasty conclusions, InuYasha. Remember that Sesshomaru is a good deal stronger than you. You don't want to go looking for trouble where it might not exist. Did you ever consider the possibility that maybe he was just passing through and maybe Saeka was with him?" Miroku yelled.

" Since when are you on his side?" InuYasha yelled.

" I'm not, but I don't want to see unnecessary trouble!"

" There won't be. Cause by the time it rolls around, Sesshomaru will be stone dead." InuYasha smirked. Miroku rolled his eyes.

" Why do I even bother?" he murmured.

" Because that's your nature?" Shippo ventured.

" Let's go Kirara!" Sango called. Kirara growled and increased her speed.

They were getting closer.

Saeka had woken up.

She was sitting by the fire and eating some grass while Rin and Jaken watched, baffled. She noticed this. " What? I've always eaten this stuff. You grow to like it after a few months of force-feeding yourself." She muttered.

" You mean it's edible?" Rin asked. Saeka nodded. Rin looked down, plucked a little blade of grass and nibbled it, her eyes rolled upward questioningly. Instantly, she made a face, spat it out and coughed several times. Saeka smiled and shook her head. " I told you, Rin. It may be edible, but it takes some getting used to. I found it horrible the first few weeks. Now, it's delicious." She said, plucking a few more blades and popping them into her mouth. Jaken shook his head. " You are an odd one, Saeka." He grumbled.

" Thanks. So are you, master Jaken." She said, adopting the title that Rin addressed him by. Jaken's eyes widened. " You called me 'master' Jaken?"

" Yep. That's what she calls you. I figure I have to do the same." Saeka said, gazing up at the sky and chewing on a dandelion. " Mm." She said, pulling it from her mouth and looking at it. " This is a good one." She resumed chewing. Rin giggled. " You sure don't have to worry about finding food. It's all around you." She commented.

" That's why I'm glad I made myself eat vegetation. It's both healthy and abundant. If only others could do it too, then world hunger would be a thing of the past. But then again, with everyone in the world eating greenery, the planet would be devastated of green growth within a few years, so maybe that isn't such a good thing."

" You sure think deeply." Rin said.

" I have to. It's what keeps me sharp."

They fell silent as Sesshomaru rejoined them.

" Saeka, do you sense that?" he asked. Saeka closed her eyes and sniffed the air. Sesshomaru noticed the white showing once more at the base of her hair.

" Yes. It's an aura. A powerful one." She said, standing up and discarding the dandelion. " It's coming from the north."

" It doesn't have the same qualities as Naraku's aura. It can't be him." He said. Saeka only had a brief inkling of what he was talking about, based on what she'd read in his mind during his illness. She shuddered suddenly and backed up a few steps. " No." she whispered, her eyes wide and filled with terror. Sesshomaru glanced at her. " You recognize this aura?"

" Yes. Lord Sesshomaru, (This little bit surprised him further) you must get yourself and your friends away from here." She said, her voice wavering with fear and panic. Her head snapped around toward the direction to demonic aura was drifting from. Her hair was slowly beginning to fade to white and Sesshomaru noticed her claws lengthening like they had done when the changeling had screamed. He knew that there was nothing he could kill to stop it this time, since the only living thing doing this to Saeka was Saeka, herself. And he had promised Rin that he wouldn't kill the healer. He hadn't promised that he would attack her if the need arose, but he certainly couldn't kill her. He may have been a demon, but he always kept his word.

" Saeka," he called, hoping to distract her transformation. She turned. Her eyes were turning red, but very slowly. " Yes?" she said in a slightly raspy voice.

" What is coming?"

" It's…its _Him._" She said. She returned her gaze to the sky just as the aura became so strong Sesshomaru began to feel sick again. This was unusual. There didn't come too many times where a demonic aura weakened him like this. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jaken pass out with a strangled moan, Ah-Un start to growl uneasily and Rin place a hand on her head, her eyelids shutting halfway.

" Lord Sesshomaru." She whispered. " It's terrible."

As she said this, he felt suddenly quite weak and that he could barely stand. The demonic aura radiating from both Saeka and whatever was fast approaching them was overpowering. He could only watch, unable to do anything as Saeka underwent complete transformation. He knew that nothing could be done, and Saeka as they knew her was gone for the time being.

InuYasha suddenly cried out and fell to the ground in mid-leap, taking Kagome with him. She rolled away and scrambled to her feet to check on him. Ahead of them, she could see a wide clearing with several people standing or sitting within it. A horrid dizziness hit her and she rubbed her right temple.

" Oh, what is that?" she whispered. The demonic aura that had struck her and InuYasha just now was very strong. She saw Sango and Kirara land and Miroku running over. He'd obviously jumped off.

" What in the world is that? And what happened to InuYasha?" he asked, his eyes quivering from the intensity of the aura. Kirara growled in pain and regressed into her cute form, leaping up into Sango's arms. Shippo, who had been on Kirara's back, fell to the ground in a slump. He was out cold.

" Whatever it is, it's coming from that clearing up ahead." Sango said. " I'll go ahead with Miroku and check it out. Kagome, take InuYasha with you as soon as he wakes up." She said. Kagome nodded and Sango and Miroku hurried off toward the clearing. Sango squinted ahead. She gasped. " Miroku! I think that's Sesshomaru!"

" What? What's he doing here? Oh, Kagome had better not try to wake InuYasha up. He'll go for Sesshomaru's throat while this filthy aura is still strong."

" But it affects InuYasha too." Sango pointed out.

" True, but when Sesshomaru's death is concerned, InuYasha will stop at nothing."

" I see your point." She said as they reached the clearing. Both Sango and Miroku's eyes widened when they saw the dragon, Ah-Un slumped over on his side beside the little imp, both out cold, the little girl, Rin leaning against the dragon and staring at the scene before her with glazed eyes and Sesshomaru crouched on the ground with his sword, Tokijjin as a balance in his hand. All were staring at a red sphere in the center of the clearing with some sort of demon inside.

" Sesshomaru!" Miroku called. The demon looked up and his eyes went blood red. " _Leave_." He snarled. Miroku took a step into the clearing and Sango's hand went out a second too late to stop him. " No, Miroku." She whispered. The monk took five more steps before the aura became too intense and he knelt down about seven feet away. " What's happened?" he called. The demonic wind surrounding the sphere had grown stronger and the red coloring, much bolder. Miroku glanced over at the young girl, Rin. A look of agony was on her face and he realized with dread that she could sense this aura. And it was killing her.

" Sesshomaru!" he cried. " You have to get the little girl out of here! This aura will be the end of her!"

Sesshomaru turned his own gaze on the girl. His eyes narrowed and he tried to stand, but instantly, his face registered pain, which was an extremely rare thing for Sesshomaru and he returned to his previous position. Miroku knew that, being a full-blooded demon, whatever in the sphere that was causing the aura was far too powerful now, even for Sesshomaru, which worried the young monk.

" I'm going to try to put a barrier around them!" he yelled over the wind to the demon. Sesshomaru nodded and gripped his sword tighter, feeling absolutely furious that he could do nothing in a time like this. He watched as the monk made his way over to the girl, Jaken and Ah-Un, placed five sutra spells around them, murmured some sort of spell and plunged his staff into the ground. A sparkling purple sphere immediately surrounded them and Rin's face relaxed. Miroku nodded to Sesshomaru, indicating that the barrier was in place and that Rin was safe. Sesshomaru pretended not to notice, but was very secretly grateful that the monk had decided to help Rin.

Motion off to his right signaled the approach of the female demon slayer. Sango was her name, he believed. Though he couldn't have really cared less at the moment. She took one look at the sphere, whipped out that boomerang she always carried around and pulled it back.

" _Hirikoats!_" she yelled, hurling it at the barrier. The boomerang, whirling faster than light struck the barrier Saeka was in, churning and spinning rapidly. As he watched, it slowly sliced a tiny hole in the barrier and then, with a loud and fiery explosion, sent the weapon ricocheting back to its owner who ducked as it struck and cut a tree down at the base.

" My Hirikoats didn't work!" she exclaimed.

Suddenly, the slayer swooned and fell to the ground, the demonic aura finally affecting her as well.

" Sango! Get in here!" the monk yelled. Slowly, painfully, she dragged herself across the clearing to the barrier, leaving her weapon behind. She entered the purified zone and collapsed on the ground, exhausted. " That aura is horrible I've never felt anything like it." She gasped.

" Yes. Sesshomaru over there seems paralyzed and like Myoga said about the disease that struck him, if it can fell Sesshomaru, it's got to be bad. This is the worst aura I've ever felt and it's not even completely whole."

" What do you mean?" Sango panted.

" Most of it is indeed coming from whatever is inside that sphere. But a little of it is coming from outside, further north and whatever is causing that milder one, is being repelled by this much stronger one."

" So you're saying that whatever is causing this killer aura—"

"—Is trying to ward off the milder one. But there's one thing I can't figure out." He said, rubbing his chin in thought.

" What's that?"

" This obviously started before it got strong enough to weaken Sesshomaru. Why didn't he kill the demon causing it? He's perfectly able to and he could have halted it."

" I know why." Rin piped up suddenly. Both turned to stare at her. She seemed to have completely recovered and was watching Sesshomaru intently, a concerned look on her little face. " I know why he didn't kill her."

" Her?" Miroku said, genuinely surprised. Sango was about to get angry with him, when she realized that his surprise was not that of womanizer Miroku, but that of serious monk Miroku. She bit her tongue and let the girl continue.

" Remember Saeka?" Rin said. That was all she needed to say.

" Saeka!" Sango and Miroku exclaimed at the same time. " She's here?"

" It's a long story." Rin said.

" Well, until InuYasha wakes up, Sesshomaru is able to move again and the aura dissipates, we've got a long time. Shoot, kid." He said, settling into a more comfortable position.

InuYasha awoke to a terrible sensation burning through his skull. He felt a dead weight on top of him as he tried to get up. Turning around to see what it was, he gasped sharply to see it was Kagome sprawled on top of him in dead faint. That was it! The demonic aura!

He yelled and clasped a hand to his head. It was agonizing. He struggled to his feet and scooped up Kagome. He whirled around and around, trying to find somewhere to go that would be safe. He spotted the clearing they had been heading to. On the trail close to it, he spotted Sango's boomerang. Worry taking the place of fear, he ran forward with Kagome on his back, snatched up Sango's weapon and came to a halt in the clearing, amazed and horrified at what he saw.

A sphere glowing bright red was pulsing in the center of the clearing. He could see a barrier at the other end with Miroku, Sango, Rin, the dragon, Ah-Un and Jaken in the center. They hadn't noticed him yet. To his left, he was shocked to see Sesshomaru who appeared to be dead on his feet. His eyes were shut tightly and he was gripping his sword serving as a ground so hard, his hand was turning white. InuYasha ignored him and continued on laboriously to the barrier. Miroku noticed him, cried out and rushed through the barrier to take Kagome and help InuYasha in.

" InuYasha, do you think you can get Sesshomaru?" he asked.

" Humph. Are you also asking me to jump to the moon?" InuYasha snapped. Miroku's face flattened. " You could have just said no. We have to get him in here or he'll be killed. This aura is only getting worse."

" I'm not helping him. Do it yourself if you're so concerned." He said, stepping into the barrier and taking a seat. He handed Sango her boomerang and she took it gratefully. Miroku followed. " I have to stay and keep the barrier up, but is anyone here who's conscious willing to try and get Sesshomaru over here?" he asked the group. Sango was still weak, the dragon was still out along with the imp, InuYasha was refusing adamantly to help in any way and Kagome was out as well. That left only one person. Rin.

" I'll do it." She said determinedly.

" Rin, a minor brush with the aura almost killed you. If you go out there, you'll die." Miroku said firmly. Rin stood up and adjusted her kimono. " He saved my life. It's only right that I try and save him. Besides, if it'll help Saeka too, I'll try anything."

InuYasha perked up. " Saeka? She really _is_ here? I knew it! When Sesshomaru is over here, I'm really going to find out what happened with that family back in that clearing!"

" InuYasha," Kagome said weakly. She had stirred for a brief moment. He turned to her. " Kagome, you okay?"

" Yes. Sit." She moaned. He toppled over.

" What was that for?" he yelled.

" She must have done it in her sleep." Miroku mused. Sure enough, Kagome was unconscious once more. InuYasha grumbled to himself.

" Rin." Miroku said. " Are you sure you don't want one of us to accompany you?"

" I'll be okay." She said reassuringly. She stepped out of the barrier.

As soon as she was out, she screamed and fell to her knees. Miroku cried out and moved to help her, but she got to her feet and continued on. He stopped. It was just the first shock of the aura still pulsing from Saeka. She could handle it better now that her body had had a taste of it.

Rin trudged across the clearing, past Saeka's sphere, over to Sesshomaru who hadn't moved an inch.

" Lord Sesshomaru!" she cried. She shook him gently. " Lord Sesshomaru! Please wake up! We have to get to the barrier!"

His eyes opened a tad and he focused them weakly on Rin.

" Lord Sesshomaru!" she said insistently.

" Rin." He whispered. " Get back to the barrier. I'll be fine."

" No, come on! You won't be fine if you stay out here much longer! Saeka is only doing to this to ward off another demon! She's just going to make it worse until the other demon goes away! Please! If this aura is killing me, then it has to be bad. I'm not supposed to sense auras! I'm a human!"

She tugged at the sleeve of his kimono. He didn't budge. " Please!" she begged. Sesshomaru had closed his eyes, but he opened them again and stared at Rin.

Over in the barrier, InuYasha made a 'pfft' noise. " Who does she think she's kidding? She isn't going to get him to come over to the barrier. His stubborn pride won't let him."

" I sure wish I could tell you to sit." Sango moaned, her chin supported on her elbow.

" Wait!" Miroku said suddenly. " Something seems to be happening!"

They all focused their eyes on Sesshomaru and Rin, but as it turned out, though Sesshomaru had finally gotten to his feet, it wasn't him that Miroku was talking about. It was the sphere. Rin helped Sesshomaru over by walking slightly before him and talking the entire time. Sesshomaru kept his eyes on the barrier. He stopped when the barrier suddenly turned a dark scarlet and imploded a foot or two.

Miroku gasped sharply. " Oh no! They won't make it in time!" he yelled. He made to leave the barrier, but InuYasha held him back. " No, you idiot! It's too late for them now! Obviously something is happening with the sphere and there's nothing we can do!"

" They'll be killed!" Miroku shouted.

Down below in the clearing by the sphere, Rin started whimpering as the sphere began pulsing furiously. Anticipating what was going to happen, Sesshomaru leapt down between Rin and the sphere and pulled her close to him just as the enormous explosion ripped through the clearing.

A/N: It's reaching the climax, where you discover exactly what Saeka's terrible secret is. I'm almost finished with this book. I think there's only like, a couple of chapters to go. That and an epilogue. Oh well, as long as you all like it. I love to get reviews, and I don't mind flames. But if you flame, you might get a message back from me asking why you thought so. Just a warning to all you pyro-maniacs out there.


	8. Saeka's Secret The Truth of The Crush

Saeka's Secret and The Truth of The Crush

The group huddled inside the barrier shielded their eyes as a fiery explosion blasted from the sphere, slamming into trees, tearing them from their roots, incinerating the grass and filling the air outside and in the barrier with smoke. Miroku was panting hard from the effort it took to withhold the barrier around them and Kirara's fur was standing on end. Shippo was the first to open his eyes upon the devastated ruin. He scanned the area for any sign of whatever had been I the sphere, Sesshomaru and Rin. He didn't see them.

" InuYasha!" he screamed. " What happened to Sesshomaru and Rin!"

InuYasha had been checking on Kagome and Sango and the others. When he heard Shippo's cry, he bolted up and ran to the fox-child's vantage point.

Sesshomaru and Rin were nowhere in sight. But where the sphere had been, a new figure was lying in the soot, unconscious. They all knew it was Saeka as Miroku removed the barrier and they found that the aura was gone. But the girl in the center of the circle of soot wasn't the Saeka they knew. Her hair was pure white, like InuYasha's. Her claws were longer, her half-opened eyes were deep red and she had fangs. She had transformed.

Kagome had been woken by the blast and she hurried over. " Saeka!" she cried. " What happened to her?"

" Apparently, she was a half-demon. It seems that when that other demonic aura appeared she decided to try to transform to protect her friends. Now, she must be a true demon thanks to her transformation."

" Will she be okay?" Kagome asked, kneeling down and raising Saeka's head in her arm.

" Probably. But until she awakens, we'll have to wait and see."

" Miroku!" Sango called. She had wandered away farther to inspect the area. They all hurried over. She was pointing at something several yards away.

" Look! Over there!"

Miroku instructed the others to stay put while he and Sango approached. There was something in the mound of dirt and soot. Something faintly white. They exchanged glances and Miroku pulled the beads off his hand.

" _Wind Tunnel!_" he cried, aiming at the earth and sucking it in. Seconds after opening it, he closed it shut. Whatever had been buried beneath the dirt and soot had been partially uncovered. Sango and Miroku both worked at the earthen material.

" Oh!" Sango cried. " Miroku!"

She had uncovered what had been buried. It was Sesshomaru.

" Sesshomaru!" Miroku exclaimed. He turned to the others. " Hey! InuYasha, Kagome! Shippo, all of you come over here! We found Sesshomaru!" he called. They all ran over as fast as they cold while Miroku and Sango cleared away the rest of the dirt.

" Oh no." Kagome said.

" Serves him right." InuYasha grumbled. Kagome furrowed her brow.

" Is that any way to talk? He is your brother."

" He deserved it."

" Sit, boy."

_Thud! _

" Aah-ah." InuYasha moaned. Kagome stood next to Sango. She sighed.

" He was caught in the blast trying to shield Rin. Do you think he's alive?"

" Who cares?" InuYasha grumbled. Kagome's face began to heat up.

" InuYasha, don't make me say it again. He didn't deserve this. He was trying to protect Rin. Didn't you see him?"

" Speaking of which, where is she?" Miroku stated.

They all fell silent.

Up on the hill, Jaken was awakening. He yawned, opened his eyes and screamed. " _Aiyeee! _What on earth happened he— _Lord Sesshomaru!_" He shrieked, dashing downhill over to the group.

" No! NO! NO! NO! My lord is dead! NO-O-O-O!" he yelled, burying his face in the sleeve of his cloak.

" You guys, I don't think he's dead." Miroku said. " I can still detect life here. I believe it to be his. He was probably knocked unconscious, that's all. That was quite a blast."

" But still, that doesn't answer the question of where Rin is. Last we saw him before now he had jumped between Rin and the blast, using his own body as a shield. Now, we find him buried and unconscious with no sign of her."

" Good point. She's probably buried around here as well, possibly nearby where we found him. But for now, let's get him out of this and start searching for her." Miroku said.

With a combined effort so as not to wake him, they managed to drag Sesshomaru out of the mound of earth and set him over by where the barrier had been. Sango and Miroku used Kirara and InuYasha to sniff around where they had uncovered Sesshomaru, hoping that Rin was somewhere nearby.

Jaken hovered by Sesshomaru. He was still in shock.

Dang it, he thought. This is all Saeka's fault. If that wench had never shown up in the first place, Master Sesshomaru wouldn't be dying and having all of this ill-fated luck befall him. He sighed. It wasn't easy being a squire.

Some time later, when Saeka over in the explosion site still hadn't awoken, Sesshomaru hadn't shown any signs of change and the demon that had started all of this hadn't shown up, the group finally hit upon something.

" Hey! I think we found her!" Sango cried. She was burrowing through a mound of earth only a couple feet from where they'd discovered Sesshomaru. She emerged with the body of a little girl. It was Rin.

" Is she dead?" Kagome asked.

" No, she's just unconscious. Let's take her over to the barrier site." Sango said. She carried the little girl up the ruined slope.

You were very brave Rin, she thought. Trying to save Sesshomaru.

She set Rin down a few feet from Sesshomaru and Jaken. Unlike Sesshomaru, Rin seemed to show signs of life. She was breathing easily, after having just been submerged in a mound of dirt. But Sesshomaru was barely breathing. It wasn't too surprising: he'd taken the brunt of the blast himself in order to defend Rin. That in itself was a noble thing to do and it showed just how much he truly cared for the little girl.

" Will they live?" Kagome asked. Miroku sighed. " I truly don't know, Kagome. I would hope so. Of course, we should distance ourselves from Sesshomaru when he shows signs of waking. He might not be too thrilled at seeing us."

"Good advice." Sango said.

Nobody noticed Rin's eyes flutter open, not until she turned her head and screamed.

" AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Lord Sesshomaru!" she shrieked, leaping up and covering her mouth. Kagome and Miroku exchanged glances. At least _she_ was okay. Kagome got up to calm the girl. " Relax, Rin. He's not dead. He's just unconscious. What with the demonic aura and the explosion, you really can't blame him, now can you?" she said kindly. Rin was shaking badly. " I-I was in trouble, wasn't I?"

" Yes, I'm afraid so. But he protected you and you're still alive." Kagome said to her. Rin sighed. " It'll be my fault if he dies." She started crying again.

" Child, he isn't going to die. He was only buried. He's going to be fine." Miroku said gently. Rin glanced over at Sesshomaru who was still unresponsive.

" Are you sure?"

" Absolutely."

" Okay. Wait! Where's Saeka?" she exclaimed suddenly. Kagome and Miroku looked at each other. They hadn't even noticed Saeka until now. Miroku looked over at Sango who seemed frozen to the spot. Her mouth was slightly open and she was trembling fiercely. " M-Miroku." She stuttered. " L-look up t-there!"

Miroku and Kagome turned around. Kagome let out a sharp gasp and Miroku simply stared.

" Oh no. This is what was going on within the sphere." He said gravely. Kagome's head shot around to face him. " What?"

" Saeka is a half-demon. While in the sphere, she underwent some kind of transformation. Now, she's a full-blooded demon, like InuYasha when he abandons Tetsuaiga."

Sure enough, standing atop the wreckage of earth was a fearsome sight. Saeka was glowering down at them, her hair now a perfect shade of snow white and blowing in the gentle wind. Her eyes were a deep blood red and her claws unnaturally long and deadly looking. Her mouth was pulled back in a sneer.

" Fools." She murmured. As she said this, her face registered panic and she buried her head in her hands, shaking it wildly. " No! NO!" she cried. She raised her eyes to them. " Idiots! Don't just stand there! RUN!" Her eyes were back to normal. But as they observed helplessly, they reverted back to red and she began to cackle to herself.

" That silly mortal half of me thinks she can win. If she's going to escape from Amanamaru, she's going to have to rely on me alone!" she rasped out in a voice that sounded to Kagome a lot like the voice of the priestess Tsubaki when she took control of the ogre's power.

" Saeka, what have you done?" Rin cried. Saeka laughed.

" Foolish girl, _I_ am not Saeka! Saeka is a weak-hearted simpleton who cares about others as though they were her own. My name is Kazuna, the demon dragon master!"

" You don't look so tough to me." InuYasha commented, drawing the transformed Tetsuaiga. He swung it back, aimed and summoned the power as he always did.

" _Wind Scar!_"

The blast headed straight for Saeka/Kazuna and struck head on.

" Heh, heh. Gotcha." InuYasha muttered. " Huh?"

Through the clearing smoke, Kazuna was standing on the hill brushing her claws through her hair as though nothing had just happened. She opened one eye. " Oh, was that aimed for me? I'm sorry, was I supposed to die? How about we do a retake on it?" she said with a cruel leer. InuYasha's sword fell and he started growling.

" How did she block that?"

" She must have deflected it somehow." Miroku said.

" No duh. Really?"

" What I mean is, she might not be an ordinary demon."

Saeka/Kazuna was laughing evilly. " Of course I'm not an ordinary demon! Why do you think part of me hated Sesshomaru and wanted his help at the same time? The part that hated him was I, the dormant demon, Kazuna. The part that desired his help was the kind and gentle Saeka. Only he is a true match for my power!" He facial expression went from exultant to sly as she added, "And since he has died just now, there is no way I'll be defeated!"

Her last few words struck all of them like lightning. Rin went milky white and whirled around. She hurried over and Miroku followed. He lifted the demon's wrist to check for a pulse. His face fell.

" No." he whispered. Rin shook her head slightly. " No. He isn't d-dead. No! NOOOOOOOO!!" she wailed. She fell to her knees, sobbing. " No! NO! Lord Sesshomaru, don't die! NO!"

" It's too late you sentimental fools! He's passed on. It was supposed to happen. What with the deadly disease being set free when I was and infecting him, the harsh aura and the blast of deadly toxins I was harboring in my body up until now, the combined forces of all that killed his heart. If he had never let the iciness of it thaw out with compassion for that child and Saeka, then maybe he would have survived. In fact, I was counting on the fact that when Rin was in just the right place that he would serve as a shield for her when it exploded and the toxins invaded his body." She cried. Miroku held up his hand. " Wait a minute. _You_ released the disease he was afflicted with?"

" Correct. On the full moon each month, I was awakened and terrorized the countryside, killing all in my wake. I broke into Saeka's stores of strains while she was weakened by my appearance and stole the strain of The Crush. I set it free into the air during your most recent battle with Sesshomaru, InuYasha. He breathed in the toxins and they became a part of his system. When they were awakened and infected him, he became sick and Myoga informed all of you of my mortal self who worked with medicine. She had no idea what had happened and was perplexed by a sudden occurrence of the disease that she…personally wiped from the planet." She said. " Anyway, now that Saeka is gone, Amanamaru will soon arrive and reclaim me as his daughter, the one whom he banished so long ago because of who I am!"

" He banished you?" Kagome exclaimed.

" No. Saeka is really his daughter. I was conceived of her rage and hurt that her own father cared nothing for her. He killed her mother and almost killed her. He would have succeeded too, if something hadn't happened." She said. Her voice had grown soft, distant. It was as though her own memories were calming her. Kagome sensed this and tried to encourage her, hoping that Saeka would return.

" What happened?"

Kazuna was about to answer, when a strong wind suddenly slammed into her and she let out a scream as she was knocked from the rise, onto the grass below.

" I'll tell you what happened, Kagome." Saeka's voice cried out. They all turned to where the voice had come from.

" Saeka!" Rin cried, looking up. " Saeka! Please help!"

Saeka approached. She wasn't the normal one they all had known. She was slightly transparent, like a ghost. Her eyes were dull and she moved much more slowly.

" I know, Rin. I saw the whole thing." She said sadly. Her eyes focused on the group. " I will first revive Sesshomaru. He needs to know this." She declared. Kazuna snarled at her. " You'll do no such thing!" she shrieked.

Saeka raised a hand, and waved it slowly before Kazuna. Kazuna suddenly clutched her neck and fell, choking furiously onto the grass.

" Be quiet, you traitor. When I created you, I didn't mean for you to kill or destroy. I needed someone else." Saeka said angrily. She turned back to Rin and Sesshomaru.

" He is dead, isn't he?" she mumbled.

" Y-Yes." Rin whispered. " Can you really bring him back to life?"

" I hope so. Kazuna has done a terrible deed. Stealing my extinct strains and then inflicting them on Sesshomaru and even using my own true aura against me and killing him when he was still recovering. How low can she possibly sink?"

She knelt down beside him.

Lord Sesshomaru, why do you feign death?" she muttered. Rin's eyes widened. She was about to protest, but Saeka raised her hand to shush her.

" Lord Sesshomaru, rise. It's time to get up." She commanded. She placed a hand on his heart and closed her eyes. She started to glow in a pure, white light that spread to the demon's body. The glow got slightly brighter and she exhaled, as though she had been holding her breath. She got up and moved a few feet away.

Rin watched with baited breath. At first, nothing seemed to happen and he continued to seem as if dead.

Then, he groaned in his sleep and his eyes opened a little. " What in the world?" he muttered. He sat up slowly and pinched the bridge of his nose.

" Rin?" he said.

" Lord Sesshomaru! You're all right!" she squealed. Once again, she hugged him, much to his surprise. But this time, he wasn't quite as shocked.

" Are you all right?" he asked. She nodded. " Mm-hmm. Saeka brought you back to life like you did me." She said cheerfully.

Over on the hill, Jaken still hadn't noticed.

" I was dead?" Sesshomaru said, bewildered. Saeka came back over. " Yes. It turns out that your disease you had wasn't an accident. My dark half, Kazuna stole it from me and gave it to you through the air during your last battle.

" So it was you." he said, turning icy eyes on the healer.

" No, it was _her_!" Rin said, pointing at Kazuna.

" So what? In any event, Lord Sesshomaru, you're still too weak from the aura, the illness and the blast of the sphere to fight me and hope to win."

" That may be, Kazuna." Saeka called. "But there is one thing that explains everything I must tell. As she said, I am indeed the daughter of a great demon called Amanamaru, the dragon demon of the north. My mother was a human sage with extraordinary powers, which is why I'm not classified as a complete half-breed. I have more demonic characteristics than a half-demon."

" So what does that have to do with your whacked out behavior?" InuYasha yelled.

" I'm getting there. My father met and fell in love with my mother. But several years later, he had returned to the mountains up north just a few weeks before I was born. The entire time, he had been expecting a son. Well, when I was five years old and had discovered a few powers of my own that have long since vanished, my mother, Lady Saaya, took me to find him. We arrived at the chasm where he lived. He met us half way and when he asked what I, a village girl was doing with her and where the child was, she explained that I was the child he had been waiting for. At that, he flew into a rage and blamed my mother for giving birth to a daughter. As I watched, he killed my mother and then moved to strike me down. As he was preparing an attack, something very large and very powerful came hurtling out of the darkness and slammed into him, sending him crashing into the cliff. That something then picked me up and dashed away, with my father roaring behind us."

She paused. The entire group was engrossed in her story. She continued.

" Later on, when it was light out, I found myself outside a small valley. Sensing something behind me, I turned to face an enormous demon dog standing over me. He was at least eighty feet tall and he really wasn't even standing. He was lying down."

InuYasha broke the story for a second. " Wait, wait, wait. Demon dog? You aren't serious."

" I'm dead serious. The demon's head lowered to look at me. I heard it speak. He told me to stay in that valley until I reached the age of sixteen. Still in shock over what happened to my mother, I agreed and then, suddenly, he was gone. Like a phantom.

" I stayed in the valley as he told me to until I was sixteen and had learned the art of healing through plants and herbs. I collected strains from all sorts of places, having created a sword called Kassenah that can cut portals and rifts through space and time. But I never forgot the demon who saved my life. When I finally learned who he was, I was shocked to learn also that he had died of grievous wounds during a battle. His name was Mononoke, the Great Dog Demon."

Kagome gasped.

" InuYasha and Sesshomaru's father saved you?" she said. Saeka nodded.

" Yes. I visit his grave often with an offering of some sort. That is why I was both pleased and afraid to finally meet his sons. I knew your names, but I knew not what you looked like. I had hoped that Sesshomaru, being the eldest could help me break away from both Kazuna, who was created from my loneliness during my time in the village and my father, who is hunting me down."

" Why is he doing that?" Sango asked.

" To kill me. I've slowly begun to take back my lands in the north by driving out his demons and minions from the people there. He wants me dead."

By now, no one had even so much as noticed that the sky was beginning to turn a jet black. Kagome was the first to break the spell from Saeka's story.

" Hey! What's happening?" she exclaimed. Saeka looked up.

" Oh, no." she whispered. " He's here!"

A deafening roar suddenly split the sky and a dark mass plummeted down from the clouds, coming for a crash landing in the clearing, scattering the entire group in different directions. Kazuna jumped to her feet happily. " Yes! Father!" she cried. Kagome looked up and screamed. Saeka bowed her head. " No." she murmured.

In the center of the clearing, stood the largest dragon any of them had ever seen. Black as night, with glistening fangs, leathery black wings, fearsome claws and a long, scaly and armored neck, it was truly a sight to behold. It glared with glowing red eyes down at everyone.

" _Saeka._" It rumbled. Saeka stepped forward.

" Hello, father."

A/N: Huzzah! ( I got that from Kinkatia.) Now you know Saeka's secret! Congratulations! Hehe, I hope you all are ready for a surprise! Saeka is in for a new future here. But I'm not telling! Please R&R! I love reviews and I don't mind flames.


	9. The Fearsome Dragon Demon, Amanamaru

The Fearsome Dragon Demon, Amanamaru

" Woah!" Shippo cried. " He's huge! Saeka, he's your father?"

" Yes." She said simply.

The enormous dragon glowered down at them. " _Saeka. So this is where you've been hiding." _

" I have not been hiding from you, father. I have been living and minding my own business." She said defiantly, taking a step or two. Kazuna, standing several feet off, shook her head and chuckled.

" _Saeka. You are as weak as your mother was. If she had only done the proper thing, she would have been spared." _

" How can she possibly decide whether she wanted a boy or a girl? I think that maybe, if given the choice, she'd choose me all over again!"

" _You would think that. But there will be no such luck for you."_

He lashed his whip-like coal black tail angrily also splintering what few trees remained. Saeka turned her head slightly. " What do you mean?"

" _Why have I been searching for you? To kill you of course. You, being an illegitimate child have no right calling yourself my heir._"

" I was only protecting the northern province. _You're_ the one with no right!"

" _Silence! I am hundreds of years old and far more powerful than you, a mere seventy year-old demon girl with simple healing abilities could ever hope to be!_"

" It doesn't matter. After what Kazuna has done in the past few weeks, I'd rather be dead from the shame of it all."

" _A wise choice. I shall be the one to grant your wish!_"

Amanamaru opened his jaws and a glowing source of red energy began to pulse ominously from within his throat.

Kagome and her friends had moved to the top of the hill. Sango's hand was on her Hirikoats, Miroku was preparing to open his wind tunnel and InuYasha was standing with his hands in his sleeves.

Sesshomaru, Jaken and Rin were still exactly where they had been and Sesshomaru had shifted so that he was kneeling instead. His hand was on his sword.

" Saeka!" he called. " Move out of the way!"

Saeka, rather than obey, shot them a sad smile and turned to face her father. The red energy in his mouth grew brighter and he roared suddenly.

" _Die, Saeka!"_

He snapped his jaws shut and the red energy surged downward straight at the girl. Saeka just watched it.

Suddenly, a streak of blue lightning charged from out of nowhere, collided with the red energy ball and redirected its course into the remains of the forest. Saeka jumped. Amanamaru's eyes widened. " _What?_" he bellowed. "_ Who is responsible for that?_"

" I am." Sesshomaru suddenly declared. He was on his feet now, Tokijjin brandished at his side, golden colored eyes focused icily on the dragon demon. Saeka stared at him. " Lord Sesshomaru? You…protected me?" she said, baffled. He didn't respond, but aimed his sword at the dragon, and fired a jet stream of blue energy that struck Amanamaru in the neck. The dragon reared in fury and pain and collapsed backward onto the ground, shaking it with such force, it could probably have been heard and felt for a mile.

Saeka stared at him with a mixture of fear and gratitude before turning her eyes on Sesshomaru. " Thank you." She said awkwardly. It was her fault after all that had resulted in his death.

Amanamaru raised his head. " _This is not done yet, Dog-demon. I know that scent. You are the son of that miserable mutt who stopped me from destroying her!_"

" I am certain that things have turned out better than they would had my father not interrupted." Sesshomaru declared. Saeka could see the fatigue lingering in his eyes from all that he'd been through in such a short period. She frowned and stepped in between them. " Lord Sesshomaru, you are in no shape to battle him and Kazuna. That horrible dark side whom father seems to favor." Saeka grumbled, staring in Kazuna's direction. The demon was perched atop a large boulder behind Amanamaru and smirking at them smugly. Amanamaru noticed this and grinned garishly. " _I have a better idea. Kazuna is Saeka's own creation, brought into being by her loneliness. I'll know how powerful Saeka is once she defeats Kazuna._"

At this, Kazuna's face registered shock. " Father, you can't make me battle her! It—would be no fair! I'd win in a walk." She stammered.

" No." Miroku whispered. Sango looked at him. " Miroku, what's the matter?"

" He's going to force Saeka to fight Kazuna. There are two ulterior motives here. If she wins, she'll be drained and Amanamaru will defeat her easily. But even if she wins, she loses because Kazuna is still a part of Saeka and to destroy Kazuna would be to destroy Saeka's own self. It's like plunging a knife into your heart while trying to get rid of an irritating voice in your head."

" Oh no." Sango exclaimed.

They all stared, horrified at the gigantic demon dragon staring down at the two demons. Saeka had accepted the challenge while they were talking and was facing Kazuna with nothing to defend herself with except the sword she mentioned, hanging from her back. Kassenah.

" Kazuna. I'm sick of having you take my place. This ends now." Saeka yelled.

" We'll see who ends it, Saeka." Kazuna hissed.

For a moment, the world was frozen as two sisters prepared to battle for the death.

A/N: Now you know about Saeka's dad and how similar to Sess and Inu she is. The only thing is, at least their father cared about them. Hers hates her. So what's going to happen? Stay tuned to find out, cause I'm not telling!


	10. The Flawed Blade, Kassenah

The Flawed Blade, Kassenah

Kazuna jumped into the air and rapidly altered her shape into that of a black wolf that came charging at Saeka's throat. Saeka balled her fists, stomped at the ground and punched upward, sending a large shield of rock shooting up. Kazuna turned and bounced off it in time to avoid a bloody nose. She snarled furiously at the healer and came at her again. Saeka put her hands up as Kazuna collided with her, knocking her to the ground, her fangs at her neck. Saeka pushed back on Kazuna's muzzle with all her might and finally overpowered her and shoved her away. She rolled up onto her feet and held up a hand. Her claws unsheathed and she slashed viciously at Kazuna's face as she attacked for a third time. Kazuna squealed and backed off for a moment, rubbing her snout with her paw. Kazuna's eyes went red and her shape changed again to that of a griffin. Saeka closed her eyes and slowly, her form began to change too. In seconds, standing where she had been was a majestic horned horse. As Kazuna the griffin dive-bombed with deadly accuracy, Saeka raised her horn, leapt forward and sliced open Kazuna's belly. The griffin went into a crash landing and shifted into a mountain lion. Saeka reared up, screamed and brought her adamant-like hooves down on the head of the lion. She backed away and reverted to the shape of a human once more. Kazuna shakily returned to her own human shape and growled. " I won't let you win, Saeka. I like my freedom."

" And I like being a simple healer!" Saeka cried. Kazuna leapt at her, claws bared. Saeka jumped out of the way and raked her own claws across Kazuna's scalp, tearing out some hair and drawing blood. She landed cat-like on the ground while Kazuna landed in a bloodied heap.

" Kazuna, are you beaten?" Saeka asked.

" Not even close." Kazuna said hoarsely. She put a hand behind her back and whipped something out at lightning speed, striking Saeka in the chest. Saeka cried out and fell to the ground. It was a shuriken and it had pierced her heart.

" Now, I've had en—AAAAUUUUUGHHHHH!" Kazuna shrieked and clutched her chest in agony. She too fell to her knees as Saeka, on the other side of the field gasped weakly for breath.

" N-No! What's h-happening t-to me?" Kazuna yelled scratchily. She stared at her hands. They were crumbling into dust before her eyes. " No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she wailed as the skin fell from her body and she turned to a chalky skeleton before them all. Amanamaru leered down at the remnants of Kazuna. " _She didn't last very long, now did she?_" he rumbled.

" No. It is exactly as I suspected." Miroku said. " She fatally injured Saeka. She killed herself to speak crudely." Miroku said in a panicky voice. He whirled to face Sesshomaru, standing about fifteen feet off and staring at the pile of bones where Kazuna had once stood. " Sesshomaru! Get Saeka out of here and away from Kazuna's body! Saeka will die if you don't!"

But before the sentence was even spoken, Amanamaru approached Saeka, kneeling on the ground, clutching her chest where the shuriken, which now lay on the ground covered in blood, had been. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and using the natural speed of a demon managed to get down between the two before the dragon reached her. Amanamaru grumbled low. "_Sesshomaru, you can't possibly hope to defeat me._" He said, boredom in his voice. Sesshomaru drew his sword and pointed it at the dragon's heart. " Leave Saeka alone."

Amanamaru swished his tail and lowered his head to gain level with Sesshomaru's height.

" _Tell me, why do you protect this pathetic half-demon? She may be more demon than human, but her blood is mixed nonetheless. Do you love Saeka, or do you simply feel inclined to protect her because she saved your life?" _

Sesshomaru, instead of providing him with an answer, activated Tokijjin's power and the blade began to glow. Amanamaru chuckled. " _That dull blade_ _cannot harm me. No ordinary sword can._"

" Then how about an extraordinary sword?" Saeka gasped. Sesshomaru turned. She had her hand on the hilt of her sword, Kassenah. Exerting whatever strength she had, she unsheathed it and heaved herself to her feet, her other hand still clasped over the wound at her chest. Sesshomaru's eyes widened. " Saeka. That sword is no different from mine. It was made from the bones of a demon."

" No, Lord Sesshomaru. This sword was made from the bones of someone else. Someone who…gave them to me when she died…to make a sword for protection."

Amanamaru eyed the sword and roared distastefully. "_ That puny blade is even worse that the Dog-demon's! It's flawed!" _

" Yes, father. My sword, Kassenah is indeed flawed. Something happened while forging it and now I use it as a last resort."

Grunting slightly from the effort to even stand, Saeka closed her eyes. The sword began to crackle and spark as lightning bolts shot out of the silver blade. With a static shockwave, it came to life in her hands. Like Tetsuaiga often did, Kassenah began to pulse from an interior heartbeat.

" Please, Kassenah. Do this last favor for me. Eliminate him, who has caused my people and I so much pain, and suffering and who has done the unforgivable."

Inhaling deeply, she raised the sword above her head. A bright, golden light erupted from it and it fizzled and crackled with life and energy ebbing within its being. With a cry of triumph, she brought the sword down sharply. A wave of electricity erupted from the sword and soared up into the air.

At first, it just seemed to vanish. But then, it reappeared as a glowing ball of flame, sitting high up in the sky. It exploded, showering all with debris and glowing stones. As they watched, a black void opened up, revealing emptiness. A strong wind whipped up and Saeka turned to everyone.

" Hang onto something! This is going to be rough!" she shouted over the increasing wind. Up on the hill, Shippo clung to Kagome. " I-I'm scared, Kagome." He stuttered. Miroku plunged his staff into the ground and he and Sango and Kirara clung to it against the gale. Kagome and InuYasha and Shippo held onto Tetsuaiga that had been submerged in the earth. Sesshomaru did the same with his Tokijjin and Jaken and Rin simply became airborne on Ah-Un.

" Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin cried.

Saeka swung the sword in an arc and plunged it deep within the ground, hanging on with all she had left as she watched Amanamaru dig his claws in the ground and struggle to hold on. Kazuna's bones were drawn up and sucked into the black hole, disappearing within seconds and Saeka felt a little of her heart go with her. Kazuna had always been her childhood friend in the village. Now she was gone. But there wasn't time to worry about that now. She gripped Kassenah with all her might, trusting that the sword would protect her.

" _NO!"_ Amanamaru roared, one claw slipping out of the earth. As he was slowly pried lose, he suddenly looked down at Saeka. His claw lashed out and gripped the girl around the waist, ripping her from the sword. His hind legs were still in the ground, but loosening fast. He glared at the petrified healer. " _If I go into that hell-hole, you're coming with me, you worthless half-breed!_" he shouted. Saeka glanced at her companions. Rin was watching with terror in her eyes and Jaken was staring with a mixture of fear, and anger. Sesshomaru was gazing up at them with grim determination on his usually blank face. As she met his gaze once again, she found that yet again, she was able to read a glimpse of his thoughts: _Saeka. Don't even think of giving up._

Amanamaru's body was suddenly torn from the ground and Saeka screamed as they went hurtling toward the black hole.

_No. I failed again. I'm sorry, Lord Sesshomaru. _


	11. The Final Truth

The Final Truth

" No!" Kagome screamed as both the dragon and the girl flew up into the sky toward the massive black hole with wind strength a hundred times Miroku's own wind tunnel.

" Saeka!" Rin shrieked from the air. She tried to jump, but Jaken held her back by the neck of her kimono. " No you stupid girl, if you die, Lord Sesshomaru will have my head!" he yelled.

Saeka, up in the claws of her father as they plummeted upward toward their deaths, shut her eyes as the tears of failure and remorse began to fall slowly, becoming lost in space as she drew nearer and nearer.

_It's all over. I'm coming to see you, mother. _

All of a sudden, however, Saeka felt a horrible vibration in Amanamaru's foreleg and he let out an earsplitting roar. A sudden weightlessness followed and then the feeling of something snatching her out of the air and moving rapidly away from the black hole. Saeka, still in shock barely watched as her father bellowed angrily as he was drawn in, vanishing within the dark void. As the target she'd aimed for was vanquished, the black hole suddenly emitted a bright light from within, swelled up and disappeared into nothing.

" Saeka."

The familiar voice was like a dream, just in her grasp, yet she couldn't reach for it.

" Saeka." It said again. It was so familiar, but she felt a heavy sensation on her brain and it was becoming harder to focus. It was probably from the loss of blood. Her vision was becoming blurry. She raised her head. At first, all she saw was a white blur. But as her vision cleared for a moment, she realized that she was seeing Sesshomaru. Then, it came back to her. She'd seen it, but hadn't fully clarified what had happened. Sesshomaru had flown up to Amanamaru and herself, lopped off the dragon's arm that held her and caught her as her father was sucked in. Now, he was carrying her back to earth in the one arm he still had. He was staring down at her. " Saeka." He said a third time and she was wondering why he didn't sound frustrated at her silence. He knew she was awake, but she wasn't sure if he knew that she was mute for the time being.

" Lord…Sesshomaru." She murmured. " I'm sorry I failed." Her head began to droop.

" You did not fail."

" Huh?"

" Amanamaru is dead. Your sword took care of that. You destroyed the one who stole that strain of illness that infected me and did exactly as you should have done."

" Oh." Was her only reply. She was too weak to talk anymore. The wound in her chest was beginning to become infected, she knew. Even if she survived, she'd still become very frail, no use at all anymore, as a healer or a demon.

Sesshomaru touched down and set Saeka down gently. She lay still, breathing quietly with her eyes closed. The others all hurried over.

" Is she okay?" Sango inquired anxiously. Sesshomaru stood up. " She is fine." He turned and moved off several yards. He took a seat on a fallen stump and stared out over the ruined field that had been destroyed by Kazuna's sphere. A leftover wind passed through and to everyone in the ruined forest, it was a blessed relief from the terror in the skies that had been the threat to them all not minutes before. Sango looked at Kagome and tilted her head quickly to the side. Kagome went over and Sango whispered in her ear. " Kagome, do you think that Sesshomaru cares about the healer? Why did he save her? Why did he continue to intervene in her fights against Kazuna?"

" Amanamaru may have been half-right. Sesshomaru might not exactly _love_ Saeka, but he does seem to care for her a great deal. But with him, you never know." She said smiling.

Saeka was getting worse. Her breathing was rapid and labored and she was leaning against an embankment, her eyes misting over, from fatigue, not death though. Sesshomaru was standing nearby, waiting for anything she might say. At one point, however, she looked up at him and muttered something. Kagome, who was watching was surprised as he nodded and called to Jaken to bring Ah-Un and Rin, announcing that they were moving on. She was even more shocked when he helped Saeka get to her feet and she climbed on Ah-Un's back with Rin, her bag on her lap. Jaken took hold of the dragon's reins and followed Sesshomaru down the path toward a large portion of forest that had survived the recent events. Saeka was leaning on Ah-Un's back, her eyes shut wearily. Soon, they disappeared in the trees.

" They didn't even say goodbye." She muttered. She looked down at her hands.

" Feh." InuYasha said. He had been sitting next to her and observing the scene as well.

" I don't know who Sesshomaru thinks he's kidding. He's just gonna kill her when Rin and Jaken are asleep. It isn't like she didn't have it coming to her."

" InuYasha, SIT!"

_Thud! Thud! _

InuYasha fell down both embankments and lay on the ground, groaning. Kagome heard Miroku chuckling behind her as he came and sat down. He sighed and positioned his staff on his shoulder. " Kagome, I think everything turned out okay." He said.

" How? Saeka's going to die. She told me so." Kagome muttered sadly.

" I know. But I think it's what she wanted when she wielded the sword, Kassenah. When the power of it was released, I thought that I saw something in it as it flew up to protect her."

" What?"

" I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw the image of a lady. A young woman who looked almost exactly like Saeka. She was smiling down at the girl just before the black hole emerged."

" Saeka said that the sword was forged from bones."

" Yes. And I have reason to believe that those were the bones of her mother, Lady Saaya, whom she mentioned in her story. Like InuYasha's sword was made from his father's fang, Kassenah was made from her mother's bones in order to protect her. Saeka is exactly the same as InuYasha as far as demonic blood is concerned. The sword was made to prevent Kazuna from escaping. And when she did, to stop her. I think that the spirit of Lady Saaya was infused into the sword so she could be with her daughter." He said, gazing up into the sky.

" How sad." Kagome said, staring off in the direction Sesshomaru had disappeared in. She sighed and faced forward.

Suddenly, she gasped. " Oh no! Saeka forgot her sword!"

And sure enough, Kassenah still lay in the earth where Saeka had placed it.

She had accidentally left it behind.

A/N: There's only one more chapter after this! Then, after that chapter, it's the third book in the series!!! Da-da-da-daaaaahhh!! Hehe, I just like to do that once in a while. I would like to give a personal thanks to the reviewers who have been checking out the story in the few weeks since I published The Healer up until now. That's, Silentmoondemon, Serenityrain, Shadowdragon2005 and Kinkatia. I apologize to anyone if I spelled any pen names wrong. But you whom I mentioned are the only ones who reviewed the story, and even though Kinkatia already knows what happens, I love that you do! THANK YOU!!!!


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue

InuYasha and his friends came upon Sesshomaru several days later. They had journeyed into the mountains a few miles north of the clearing where Saeka's secrets were unveiled. Sango was the first to spot him, though she only pointed wordlessly. They approached with caution. As they got nearer, all were surprised to see him ferreting around in the bushes and emerging with a handful of stringy plants. He noticed them and turned.

" Well, what a pleasant surprise." He said sarcastically. " My half-demon brother and his human friends. To what honor do I owe this visit?" he said, mocking InuYasha's own words several weeks back. Sango and Kagome stepped forward. Kagome had a sword slung across her shoulders.

" Hello Sesshomaru." She said. He turned and continued his search for whatever it was he was looking for.

" Sesshomaru," Sango said. " We wanted to know if Saeka's okay."

Sesshomaru paused and his eyes narrowed. They flickered red for a moment, which in the faint light of the forest, looked extremely eerie. He turned and eyed them all.

" She's dead." He said flatly. Sango gasped and covered her mouth.

" What?"

" She's dead. She died of the infection from the wounds Kazuna inflicted. We left her in the mountains for the vultures." He replied bluntly. He straightened up, several moon-colored plants dangling from his hand along with the long stringy ones.

" Oh." Kagome said.

Back a ways, Miroku closed his eyes, lifted his hand to his mouth and murmured a prayer of salvation for her. InuYasha's ears twitched and he turned around uncomfortably. Shippo started bawling on Kirara's shoulder.

" I'm so sorry, Sesshomaru." Kagome said quietly.

" For what?" he said, indifferent as usual.

" We all know you cared about her." Kagome answered.

" I did not care for her." He said menacingly. But they all knew he didn't mean it, though none dared to come out and say it. Shippo stopped crying for a moment. " S-Sesshomaru, what are the plants for?" he asked, gesturing to the plants in his hand. He glanced down and then back up at them. " That is none of your concern." He said. Shippo yelped and ducked behind Kirara. Sesshomaru looked at the plants again. He seemed to be counting them. Then, he turned and started down the path. Kagome ran forward a few steps. " Wait! Wait a moment!" she called. He turned around slightly. She removed the sword from her shoulder and hurried over. She held it out to him. " This is Kassenah, the sword Saeka forged. We came to give it to her. But since she…well. You can have it. It belongs to you now." She said. It was now that they noticed he'd gained a new temporary arm of some sort of black demon and took the sword with that hand. " Thank you." He said. He turned around and continued on. This time, they didn't stop him. " Bye Sesshomaru!" Kagome called. She headed back to her group. Sesshomaru turned his eyes back a bit, but said nothing and didn't stop.

" Let's go guys." Kagome said. They all went back in the direction they had come. Kagome took one last final look at Sesshomaru's vanishing form. She sighed. _He must be crushed._

" Sango, why are you smiling like that?" Kagome heard Miroku ask. Sango giggled. " You guys don't get it." She said cheerfully.

" Get what? Why are you so happy? That healer is dead, Sango." InuYasha snapped. Sango sighed and shook her head.

" Think about it guys. Why was Sesshomaru looking through the bushes? And why did he come out with a handful of plants?"

" Who knows and who cares?" InuYasha muttered. Sango rolled her eyes.

" I recognize those plants. They are Wolfsbane and Snapdragon root. They're commonly used in both herbal teas and medicine."

All heads shot up. " Medicine?" Miroku said, baffled.

" Yes. It's a special medicine that will heal any wound on contact. How could Sesshomaru know such a spell as to concoct the stuff?"

None replied. Sango continued. " Simple. He couldn't. This can only mean one thing."

" What?" Miroku asked.

" That Saeka's still alive."

" What? So you mean that he was lying about her dying? But why?" Shippo asked.

" Guys," Kagome said suddenly. " I'm convinced that Sesshomaru might actually love Saeka and he's trying help her recover."

" Feh. Yeah right. Sesshomaru actually caring about a half-demon girl. Now that would be something to know."

" InuYasha." Kagome said in a singsong voice.

" What?"

" SIT, boy!"

_Thud!_

Sesshomaru reentered the tiny field within the forest at the base of the mountains, Kassenah in the demon claw and the plants in his hand.

Saeka was sitting over by the fire. She'd had to apply some bandages and ointment in her pack onto her wound, so she'd disappeared into the forest for a while. Since the bandages had to have air, she was wearing a cloak to cover herself. She looked up as Sesshomaru approached. Rin, who was stretched out on Ah-Un's back, bolted up. " Lord Sesshomaru! You're back! You found the herbs!" she cried happily. Sesshomaru reached the dragon and tossed the bundle of plants and the sword to Saeka. She seemed surprised to see Kassenah. " Oh. It's my sword? How'd you come across it? I thought it got left in the ruined forest." She said.

" InuYasha and his friends gave it to me. I told them you'd passed on."

" Oh. All right. Thank you so much, Lord Sesshomaru." She said, taking the herbs and shredding the stalks into powder on a cloth in her lap. Rin watched and chattered at the same time and Saeka listened with rapt attention. Sesshomaru sat down against a tree a ways away and watched them. His eyes were focused on Saeka. He still puzzled over her. Why was she so different from InuYasha as a half-demon, yet the same as himself as a full demon?

He observed as Saeka began to shred the snapdragon root and then pour the mixture into a little cup at her side, to which she added water from a pot on the fire. She stirred it around with a shredded stalk of snapdragon root, all the while talking with Rin.

He recalled when Amanamaru had captured Saeka, and when she was battling Kazuna, he realized with horrible shock that he had actually been…_afraid_. Afraid she was going to…die. He was still surprised at himself for saving her from the black hole. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He hated half-breeds and Saeka should be no exception. But then….

He shook his head. He had no feelings for the girl whatsoever. He was Lord Sesshomaru, Dog-demon of the western province. He wasn't interested in a half-demon like Saeka. But, no matter how much he chided himself on it, he couldn't shake the fact that he was hiding something from himself. He remembered what Amanamaru had said:

_" Tell me, why do you protect this pathetic half-demon? She may be more demon than human, but her blood is still mixed, nonetheless. Do you love Saeka, or do you simply feel inclined to protect her because she saved your life?" _

Sesshomaru growled at the memory. He continued to watch as Saeka finished the balm she'd asked him for the plants for and poured it into a leather flask and sealed the top on.

_Maybe,_ he thought. _Maybe I do feel something. But Saeka is different than Rin and Jaken. She seems to mean more to me. I don't know what this is. It's strange. _

He got up and went over to them. Saeka looked up. " Hello again, Lord Sesshomaru." She said. He just looked at her for a second. He frowned, as though concentrating on something.

" Saeka, are you up to traveling again?"

" Yes. The medicine is working thanks to the herbs you brought me. I should be completely recovered in a few days."

" Good. We're going now." He said. He extended his hand, surprising her. She took it and he helped her up. She climbed onto Ah-Un's back beside Rin who stared at Saeka, wide-eyed.

Sesshomaru reached over to the demon arm attached to the stump of his left one and ripped it out, discarding it. He'd actually given up slitting the arms of demons or humans and attaching them to his own body. He only did it this time because he needed both hands to find the herbs for Saeka. He started forward and Jaken and Ah-Un followed.

" Saeka." Rin said. Saeka turned. " Yes?"

" Why did he do that?"

" You mean help me up? I guess he was just being nice." Saeka said. She faced forward. Rin smiled to herself and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Sesshomaru at the head of the line narrowed his eyes. Did he truly care for Saeka? Maybe even…_love _her? He didn't consider it impossible, though very foreign and disturbing for him. He admitted he cared about her. Maybe more so than InuYasha's human friend Kagome suspected. She was shrewd one. She could see right through him! How could she have known that he cared for Saeka?

Sesshomaru sighed and listened to the happy laughter of Rin as Saeka told her a funny story. Suddenly, he felt the iciness of his heart almost completely melt. He knew that his theory was correct: he did care for the healer as more than a friend or traveling companion. He couldn't help but wonder.

He turned around as he walked and saw that Saeka was watching him absently. She smiled and turned as Rin started talking again. Sesshomaru faced forward again.

He now knew that it was only a matter of time.

The End

AN: Well? I added a little fluff at the end for kicks. Kinda gets you wondering. I hope you liked it. The next book is called The Final Saga of Saeka. The thing is, that's just the final book for SAEKA. There are other books too, but they don't all focus on Saeka. I bring in some new characters. Remember, The Final Saga of Saeka. DO NOT MISS IT IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!!!!!


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